


Guide Me Through The Storm

by galactiklance



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, BC I SAY SO, Cursed storm, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fairy Tale Curses, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Keith (Voltron)-centric, Kinda, M/M, Mild Angst, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, Orphan Keith (Voltron), Pirate Captain Keith, Pirate Keith (Voltron), Pirates, Soulmates, background Adashi, background romellura, keith's birthday, mer, mer lance, minor character death mentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2020-12-28 19:09:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21141743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galactiklance/pseuds/galactiklance
Summary: ----------°•.oOo.•°----------An island drifted from afar,Lands beyond the southern star.Treasure more than all Kings’ cowls,Lies in wait within its bowels.Yet this not wealth as mortals know,As storm-dark’d light reveals its glow.But if those unworthy, brave,They shall find naught but their grave----------°•.oOo.•°----------Keith hasn't lived the best life. But of course, every infamous pirate needs to have a tragic backstory, and he certainly ticks both boxes. The legendary island of Acrux is said to hide a treasure of incomprehensible worth, one many pirates would - and indeed have - kill for.The only problem is that no one has been able to set foot on the island, because a murderous spirit lives in its waters, leading each and every ship that comes close enough to feel its allure to its death.When Keith finds himself in the possession of a map leading to Acrux, the only barrier standing in the way of his attempt to claim the treasure as his own is eliminated. But what he finds is not what he expected. Not what he expected at all...





	1. The Riddle

**Author's Note:**

> A Keith-centric fic I've been working on for a while and thought apt to post for his birthday. This will update every two days, and will have an estimated 9 chapters, possibly 8, since I haven't actually finished writing it. 
> 
> This fic has been in the works behind the scenes for a looooong time, since about July, according to my google doc. The chapters are somewhat short, I do apologise, but it is updating pretty quickly so I hope that forgives me.
> 
> Jo, you honestly deserve the entire universe and more for everything you do for me. You beta work after work, listen to rants, chat, you even named this fic. If for some reason you don't know who Jo is, here's her [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BSforDays/pseuds/BSforDays), [Tumblr](https://bsfordays.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://bsfordays.tumblr.com/) and you should really, _really_ read her works, you won't regret it.
> 
> Also HUGE thanks to the kws gc on discord, I've been in the gc for like,,, a week, but I already love everyone there. They're all subject to my impulsive excerpts and continuous sprints when I should be doing homework but can't be bothered. I love you guys so much. 
> 
> As per usual, here's my [Twitter,](https://twitter.com/galactiklance) [Tumblr,](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/), and guess what, I'm FINALLY semi-active on instagram after literal months of promising to do it. Not as active as Twitter though, that still takes the cake.
> 
> Remember to leave comments and kudos!!

\----------°•.oOo.•°----------

_ An island drifted from afar, _

_ Lands beyond the southern star. _

_ Treasure more than all Kings’ cowls, _

_ Lies in wait within its bowels. _

_ Yet this not wealth as mortals know, _

_ As storm-dark’d light reveals its glow. _

_ But if those unworthy, brave, _

_ They shall find naught but their grave _

\----------°•.oOo.•°----------

Those eight lines, eight lines that every seafarer, every pirate, every navy soldier, every sailor from Altea to Daibazaal to Arus had committed to memory. 

The eight lines that led to the Isle of Acrux, the eight lines that led every being who chased foolishly after the foretold treasure to their inevitable, watery deaths.

Because although Acrux was uninhabited, the rocky waters surrounding the island of legend were not.

Those few who ventured within range of the eternally storm-ridden shore and somehow made it back alive told tales of a sea spirit in the waves.

They said it glowed blue, bluer than anything from the mortal world, bluer than the sky, the sea, bluer than a sapphire. They said it was enticing, compelling, irresistible.

But most of all, they said it led storm-battered ships onto the rocks hidden beneath the surface, killing all those aboard before they could reach the island.

The spirit was never to be trifled with, if you wanted to live to see the next day.

\----------°•.oOo.•°----------

They said he was the most lethal pirate on the seas. They said he was the smartest, the most reckless. And they were right.

With his back against the mainmast, one foot dangling off the edge of the yardarm - the only place of privacy he could find aboard his beloved ship, the Red Lion - Keith ran a rag along the edge of his knife. 

The blade was a gift from his mother, the last thing he had from his family.

Yes, just like any other pirate, Keith Kogane was equipped with a tragic backstory.

His mother had left him when he was just a baby, leaving his father to care for him alone. The, his father had died in a house fire that destroyed all Keith’s belongings when he was only six. Alone, he ventured out into the world, his only comfort the dark dagger that had allegedly belonged to his mother. 

That was the last time he’d cried.

He made his way into a town, into the capital of Marmora, and there he lived in the shadows. Sleeping in alleyways, stealing anything he could, hardening himself and locking away his feelings so no one could ever, ever find them.

Then Shiro found him.

Shiro, the amazing man he was. He took him in, inviting him onto the crew of his own ship, the Black Lion. Keith found a home there, for the first time in years. He found a home amongst the tangled ropes and the creaking deck, the billowing sails and the salty spray. He found a home in Shiro.

But home couldn’t last, and Keith never should have trusted it would.

Keith was land-bound, staying with Shiro’s partner, Adam, while he recovered from a nasty run-in from a pirate band, earning him a long scar to the cheek.

The ship had set sail, but it never arrived at its destination, or anywhere else. 

And so, once again, Keith stole. But this time it wasn’t just a few coins from a lady’s purse, it wasn’t an apple from the fruit stall, it wasn’t the trivial things of his youth.

No, he stole a boat.

The very same boat he was on now.

Because the ocean had felt more like home than anywhere else, that was where he ran off to. He didn’t _ mean _ to become a pirate, but stealing was in his nature, there was nothing he could do about that.

It had been years since Shiro’s disappearance, and now Keith had a new place in life.

His small crew was from all reaches, Hunk hailing from Balmera, Pidge from Olkarion, Allura and her girlfriend Romelle from Altea and Pollux respectively. 

They were friends, close friends, but not family. Never family, because then Keith would lose them.

He kept them all at a close, measured distance. Close enough that they all trusted one another, trusted him, but not so close they saw his walls. 

“We got a Daibazaal royal boat ahead, yay or nay?” The sun glinted off the enormous round glasses on Pidge’s face as they shouted down from the crow’s nest.

They were rather short, but they made up for it in their viciousness. 

There was always at least one knife strapped to their person somewhere, whether it be in the folds of their baggy greenish-grey trousers, or tucked into the green sash at their waist, or beneath their emeral waistcoat. Their short, auburn hair was kept back with another green bandanna, practically the only things that weren’t green on their person were their white(ish) blouse and their black boots.

“Where’re they headed?” Allura called up from the deck.

Her long ivory curls - stark contrast to her dark skin - reached to her waist, kept back with a somehow spotless pink bandanna - similar to Keith’s one in red - revealing the large golden hoops hanging from her ears. Her bandanna wasn’t the only part of her outfit that was curiously clean, no, her white blouse, bell-sleeved and off the shoulders, was only a shade or two different from her hair. At her waist was a sky blue underbust, which never looked that comfortable but never seemed to hinder her whatsoever. Her skirt was navy, but adorned with so many sashes it was only visible beneath the pinks and white and gold at her knees. It stopped above her ankles, so it didn’t drag on the ground and get dirty, revealing neat heeled ankle boots. 

“Uh…” Pidge put the telescope back up to their eye. “Nor’east, probably just come from the Puigian port.”

“Let me see.” Keith sheathed his knife, tucking the rag into a pocket beneath the crimson scarf tied around his midriff and scaling the rigging quickly. 

Pidge handed him the telescope, and he pressed it to his eye, soon finding the ship below the horizon. 

“Lotor,” he muttered.

Although not the typical blacks and purples of the Galrans, there was no mistaking the slim design of the hull, the deep blues that decorated the vessel, the glinting weaponry. 

This was the ship of the Galran Prince.

“You can’t be serious.” Pidge looked at him in disbelief as Keith snapped the telescope shut. “This would be what, the fourth time? Fifth? Just give up already, Keith.”

“No.” 

Without giving his lookout any time to answer, he descended the rigging, tall black boots landing on the deck with a _ clump _.

“So, yay or nay?” Romelle asked from the wheel.

She, too, had long hair, sandy blonde and in two tails down her back, almost a crown of plaits at the front. She wore a long blue blazer, beneath it a simple pink dress and white blouse. It seemed almost everyone favoured white shirts, though Keith was the only one without a blouse, instead favouring an unlaced shirt. At her hips was a series of belts, partly for decoration, partly as sheaths. While she preferred a staff, she still kept a blade on her for emergencies. 

“Bastard said yay. It’s Lotor.” Pidge landed beside Keith.

“I am your captain, don’t-”

“It don’t matter, you’re still a reckless bastard who can’t say no to a challenge.” They shrugged, adjusting their glasses.

“Lotor? Keith, no, not again. Just let it go, okay?” Hunk had joined them now, tails of his orange headband shifting in the breeze. Intimidating in his size, Hunk was actually one of the most kind-hearted people Keith had ever come across, but yes, he wasn’t afraid to use his strength when he needed to. He was the only one without a white shirt, his being simple striped calico, underneath a fur lined sleeveless jacket. Underneath the yellow sash, his simple brown trousers were somewhat stained by grease and various grime from the many many weeks at sea. He and Keith were the only two aboard who wrapped their hands with strips of black cloth, Hunk because he worked the cannons and Keith, well, Keith because he liked it. 

“I, for one, am with Keith on this.” Allura stepped up beside her captain, her girlfriend agape. “I think it’s high time we showed cousin dearest just what happens when you mess with the Red Lion.”

Although they came from different lands, Allura and Lotor were indeed cousins. Queen Honerva, Lotor’s mother and wife of King Zarkon, was Allura’s aunt, though the family resemblance wasn’t all that strong. 

“It’s still three on two, ergo, we’re not doing it.” Pidge crossed their arms stubbornly.

“We’re doing it.” It wasn’t a question, it was a demand, an order. Yes, Keith knew this probably wouldn’t end well, but it wasn’t in his nature to give up.

“Fineeee, I’ll grab my knives,” Pidge groaned, but, to their credit, did make a move to the crew quarters.

“Ro, I’m set. Why don’t you go get ready and I’ll take the wheel?” 

True to her word, Allura’s whip was coiled at her waist, broadsword sheathed on the other side. It wasn’t unusual to see her pull an enemy’s blade from their hands and wield it a moment later. She was a force to be reckoned with.

“Thanks, babe.” With a peck on Allura’s cheek, Romelle also disappeared below deck.

“You want me on cannons again?”

“As always. You operate them better alone than the rest of us put together.” Keith smiled as his crewmate began to set up. 

While the others were getting ready, Keith once again made his way up to the mainmast’s yardarm, finding a loose rope and looping it around his hand once or twice. He was already ready, knife sheathed and cutlass at is waist. He needed no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeet it me again  
Ofc it is I wrote this
> 
> Anyways, I hope you liked this so far, I can't wait to get more up and show everyone. Chapter 2 will be out in two days, and then chapter 3 two days after that, and so on.
> 
> Once again, here are my links:  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance)  
[Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/)  
[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/)
> 
> If you liked this, leave a comment and kudos, and check out my other works!
> 
> See you in two days :D


	2. The Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What, your cowardly captain can’t be bothered to show his face, so he sends his friends out to do his dirty work? Doesn’t sound like that much of a leader. It’s no wonder he was abandoned.”
> 
> Keith knew, oh he knew that Lotor only said it to goad him into doing something reckless, but he couldn’t help himself. 
> 
> Instead of waiting for the perfect moment, for the climax of the battle to be near to throw himself into the fray and act the catalyst for victory, Keith launched himself off the yardarm without a second thought, heading straight for Lotor’s sails.
> 
> When he reached the apex of his swing, even though he still had a good distance to cover, Keith let go, reaching for both his blades. 
> 
> \------
> 
> Keith hates it when people call him hotheaded, impulsive, or reckless. He hates it because he knows they're right. He's known for holding grudges, for being unnecessary competitive, for his thirst to prove himself. And what better time to exemplify every single one of these traits than in a fight with an infuriating prince?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing this on Thursday because I know I won't have much time on Friday and GOD AM I HAVING TO RESTRAIN MYSELF FROM POSTING THIS A DAY EARLY. 
> 
> As you will notice, this is indeed a day early. Blame Jo. That's all I have to say. Oh and it's Keith's birthday <s>ignoring timezones bc who cares about them</s> and he deserves it.
> 
> Anygay, thanks for all the kind words for the first chapter, despite it barely being over 1.5k words. This one's longer, almost 2k words, setting it at so far the third longest chapter. 
> 
> Surprisingly enough, for someone who adores weaponry to extent I do, I actually struggled to write the fight scene, so I apologise in advance for the lack of quality.
> 
> Also now this will definitely have at least 9 chapters, no hesitancy. 
> 
> Once again, Jo I adore you. You're one of my best friends, and your mind is just,,, amazing. Here's her [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BSforDays/pseuds/BSforDays), [Tumblr](https://bsfordays.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://bsfordays.tumblr.com/). Go say hi to her and read her stuff bc she is amazing and you won't regret it.
> 
> And now for my links bc I take every chance I can to put them anywhere. I have [Twitter,](https://twitter.com/galactiklance) [Tumblr,](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/).
> 
> Another 'I owe my life to you guys' to the kws discord gc because I do. You guys are so nice and supportive and I love being a part of the group. 
> 
> Leave a comment and kudos if you enjoyed!

Within no time at all, Lotor’s ship came within range, and, with a warning call, Hunk launched the first cannon. It hit, but Lotor was prepared, angling the armoured part of his hull in the direction of the Red Lion. 

No one expected any different. 

“Hunk, keep shooting until we’re too close, then take the wheel! We’ll take the fight to them, so you should be fine,” Keith called down from his position.

Another boom as Hunk lit the second cannon, missing by a fraction of an inch and cursing. “Got it, Keith!”

From then on, Keith existed in his own world. Everything else he blocked out, focusing on one thing and one thing alone; beating Lotor. 

He wasn’t aware of how long it had taken them to get into range of Lotor’s ship, only that they were. He wasn’t aware of when Hunk had stopped firing the cannons, only that he had. He wasn’t aware when Pidge, Allura and Romelle had all found their own places to depart from the Red Lion, only that they had done so.

What he was aware of, however, was the five on three battle beginning on the decks of the Prince’s vesle.

He watched from his perch as Romelle fended off both the ruthless Acxa and the brutal Zethrid at the same time, he watched as Pidge led the nimble Ezor and almost blind but nonetheless lethal Narti on a fast-paced chase up and around the deck and the rigging. 

He watched as Allura and Lotor circled each other, their twin heads of silvery hair shining in the sun. Neither made a move towards the other, Lotor even going as far as to keep his sword sheathed, resorting to simple taunts. 

Well, Keith assumed they were taunts, he could see his enemy’s mouth moving, but he was too far away to hear anything.

That was, until the prince raised his voice.

“What, your cowardly captain can’t be bothered to show his face, so he sends his friends out to do his dirty work? Doesn’t sound like that much of a leader. It’s no wonder he was abandoned.”

Keith knew, oh he  _ knew _ that Lotor only said it to goad him into doing something reckless, but he couldn’t help himself. 

Instead of waiting for the perfect moment, for the climax of the battle to be near to throw himself into the fray and act the catalyst for victory, Keith launched himself off the yardarm without a second thought, heading straight for Lotor’s sails.

When he reached the apex of his swing, even though he still had a good distance to cover, Keith let go, reaching for both his blades. 

He hit the sail at speed, digging his dagger and cutlass into the dark material. They wouldn’t slow him down too much as he plummeted towards the deck, but they would render the sail useless unless it was mended.

By pure luck, well, that, and Pidge’s quick thinking, Keith met Narti on the rigging, taking advantage of her limited sight and stealing her sword. Though he was good with a dagger, he felt more comfortable against Lotor with longer blades.

Allura, blessed Allura, had managed to keep the man in question talking, the cousins still locked in their slow rotation, Lotor’s back to Keith.

She jumped out of the way as Keith landed, using the leftover momentum to throw a powerful kick to the small of his enemy’s back, knocking him to the ground.

“So the hot-headed  _ boy _ decides to finally show himself.” Lotor picked himself up off the ground, looking none the worse for the wear. 

Keith had no retort but an angry growl, lowering his stance as Lotor drew his rapier slowly from its scabbard.

“You always did like to make a show of things, didn’t you, cousin?” Allura appeared as if out of nowhere, her sword at his throat.

“You’ll never have the nerve.” Lotor’s voice was dripping with ice, but what angered Allura most was that he hadn’t stopped doing anything, because he was right, and Keith knew it too. Allura would never be able to kill Lotor.

“Allura, go help Romelle. Leave him to me.”

Reluctantly, she agreed, removing her blade and retreating.

“Now that we’ve ridden ourselves of the women, let’s get down to the real fighting, shall we?” 

He didn’t give Keith any time to respond, lunging at him with lightning speed. But Lotor wasn’t the only one who was fast. His blade met Keith’s, trapped in the cross of the x, each sneering at the other.

They stood, facing off, silent bar their grunts of effort and strain to overcome the other for a minute, perhaps two, Keith couldn’t tell. 

Then suddenly, just as Lotor surged forwards, Keith ducked, rolling out of the way and coming up to meet a stumbling opponent. But just because he was stumbling didn’t mean Lotor was unaware. In fact, he used Keith’s own presumptions against him, waiting for him to strike then twisting the stolen sword from his grip with the flat of his own blade.

It clattered to the deck, Keith diving after it, Lotor hot on his heels. Something cold slashed his arm, making him yelp and splattering his shirt with blood. 

Well, it wasn’t a proper fight without injuries, was it? At least it wasn’t his dominant arm, and even if it was, it wasn’t too deep, and it certainly wasn’t the first time he’d been wounded mid-battle.

He didn’t let Lotor revel long in his small victory, clambering to his feet and taking advantage of the foreign Prince’s pride. If he could play it out for a little longer, take a few more hits… but he had to look like he was trying. At least acting wasn’t anything new to him.

Cutlass outstretched, Keith lunged, a little sloppily if he said so himself, but not sloppily enough it gave him away.

Lotor dodged, but didn’t escape unscathed. A thin line of crimson showed through the rip in his pants, which was nothing comparing to the wound slowly dripping down Keith’s arm.

The next time he made a move, their blades met with a resounding clang, and when Keith went to strike with his second, Lotor somehow caught it on the tip of is already engaged sword, effectively - and impressively - blocking him. 

Keith grunted, pulling away, the two resorting to slowly circling each other, looking for an opening in which to strike. 

Lotor found his first, in the split second Keith glanced away to see how his crewmates were doing. He looked back and the dark metal of the Galran’s sword was within inches of his throat. 

Once again, he caught it in an x, forcing it back, ducking out the way, and delivering a swift kick to Lotor’s ribs. If he had been truly trying to topple him, then it would have worked, instead of the poorly placed heel that actually happened.

“Looks like someone’s a little out of sorts today. Why, have you given up, dear old foe?” Lotor cooed, stance low, waiting.

If he wanted a rise, then he’d get one. 

Keith threw himself forwards, blades a deadly whirlwind, but none finding their mark before being pushed aside again and again and again. Just as he wanted. 

The nick to the cheek was also received well, though his sneer was careful to mask the relentless excitement inside. This was working. Lotor was becoming careless in his slow victory.

With the taste of blood coating his tongue, Keith snarled, aiming for a low blow that was easily blocked. 

He took the hit that ultimately fell him, even letting the borrowed blade shoot out of his hand as he landed hard against the wood of the deck.

“Why be here at all? We both know the outcome. I’ll win, again, and you’ll lose. Again. And again, and again.” With each ‘again’, Lotor stalked closer, until the tip of his sword was resting on Keith’s throat. “You’re not good enough, you never will be, and you know it. Just let me make this quick. Painless, almost.”

“Never.” His voice was hoarse, rough, enough to momentarily throw Lotor and deliver a kick in his nether regions. The place where it hurt the most.

It landed solidly, and before Lotor could even have the chance to finish his cry of anguish, Keith was up, gifting another kick to the ribs and a slash to the chest. 

Lotor tried to block, you had to give him credit for that, but he missed, never having anticipated this turn of events. 

For someone so used to getting exactly what they wanted, when they wanted, to suddenly be on the raw end of things must be  _ quite _ the shock.

Keith drove him backwards, slowly but surely, slash after stab, jab after parry, until they reached the mastpost. 

“No so confident now, are we?” He jeered in Lotor’s face. God, it felt good to do that.

With a sharp downwards jab, the pommel of his cutlass hit Lotor’s fingers, hard enough to get him to drop his sword. 

The fear in his eyes only made Keith feel stronger, and he laughed,  _ laughed _ at the fact this was actually happening.

“Pidge!” He called, his cry answered a few seconds later by the two successive  _ twack _ s of sharp blades hitting wood.

The daggers weren’t anything special. Plain, picked up from some merchant ship or stolen from the mainland. They wouldn’t be missed.

Keith yanked them, one at a time from the mast, still holding Lotor captive. 

Of course he tried to struggle from his grip, especially when Keith twisted his arms around the post, but with the threat of a blade finding its mark somewhere it probably shouldn’t, he stopped pretty quickly. Even perfect princes weren’t immune to sharpened steel.

This was where the daggers came in useful; to pin his sleeves in their spot, trapping Lotor.

Finally.

He’d won.

After who knew how long, Keith had beaten Lotor, he had proven he wasn’t useless.

“Stop gloating and get down here! There’s still four more of them!”

Right, yes, the generals. It wasn’t just Lotor on this ship.

“You’ll  _ never _ get away with this.” Lotor was still struggling, but to no avail.

“Huh, funny.” Keith picked up Lotor’s prized sword, examining it. “I thought I just did.”

And with that, he turned and lept back into the midst of the battle.

“So kind of you to join us.” The statement was punctuated by a whip crack, and a hiss of pain from Acxa. 

“Well I’m awfully sorry, but I was a little preoccupied up until now.” Zethrid’s blade met his own, but he pushed her back quickly.

A thump sounded next to Keith, and, looking down, he saw the pile of green and brown unfold itself into the form of Pidge. Romelle was busy fending off Ezor, who kept dodging her blows, but was yet to land a hit of her own. 

“Nice of you to drop by.”

“Oh, ha ha.” 

“Where’s Narti?” Keith once again crossed blades with the largest Galran woman, but he didn’t let her close enough to hurt anyone.

“Up there.” Pidge gestured with a dagger.

Following the line of the blade, Keith saw a writing tangle of ropes, suspended a way up in the air.

“Nice,” Allura grinned, momentarily taking her eyes off Acxa. 

“Look out!” Romelle fended Lotor’s second-in-command off with the butt of her staff in one direction, kicking Ezor away in the other.

“Why though? You’ve always got my back. Just like I’ve always got yours.” 

“If the two love birds could shut up and fight we can all get off here with whatever loot we can carry!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still Thursday, still wanting to post a day early. AAAAHHHHH THIS IS HARD. I gave in
> 
> So I hoped you liked this, I can't wait for the next chapter. It's the shortest one so far but honestly one of my favourite things I've written. I'll post tomorrow on schedule too :D
> 
> Ma links:  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance)  
[Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/)  
[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/)
> 
> Leave a comment and kudos plz and thank


	3. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Running his fingers over the fading gold letters embossed at the top, he examined the spindly lines converging to form a landmass he’d yet to set eyes on.
> 
> Acrux.
> 
> The ultimate challenge. 
> 
> If he could do this, if he could make it to shore, find the legendary treasure, and make it out alive… well, he’d be a hero. He’d be rich beyond comprehension, he’d have everything, he would be able to find Shiro.
> 
> \------
> 
> The only barrier between Keith and the island of legends has been eliminated, and nothing will stop him from getting there. Nothing, not his crew's protests, not the danger, not the impending doom of the so called suicide island. Because this is his chance to make everything right, and he'll be damn if he doesn't take it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So once again I'm writing this on Thursday bc I know I won't have enough time tomorrow to do anything other than hit 'post'. But this time, I'm not gonna give in. I WON'T
> 
> As aforementioned, this chapter is almost ridiculously short, but I do absolutely love it, and I apologise for lack of length. I hope you like what little there is though.
> 
> As you know, Jo is my beta. And as you should also know by now, she is amazing. I'm repeating myself but honestly? Jo you deserve it you utterly phenomenifirous human being. Say hi to her on [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BSforDays/pseuds/BSforDays), [Tumblr](https://bsfordays.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://bsfordays.tumblr.com/) and please I'm begging you go read her fics they're some of my favourite I've ever read
> 
> To add to this link dump are... drum roll please... my links!!!!! Wow!!! What a surprise!!!  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance)  
[Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/)  
[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/)
> 
> <s>Also hi to Gemma from the bus. ur cool. say hi to jay for me. sorry if I spelt your name wrong</s>
> 
> Kws gc, I love you. Stay chaotic and amazing.
> 
> Comments and kudos are always welcome!!  
<s>ie plz leave them I'm begging you</s>

It turned out they could carry a  _ lot _ of loot. Almost everything from the ship, in fact. 

Including a map.

A map that Keith had trying to get his hands on a copy of for years.

A map highly sought after by anyone in the trade.

A map that led those who followed it to their graves.

A map that currently sat on Keith’s battered desk, corners weighed down by candles and whatever else heavy he could find.

Of course he knew about Acrux, everyone did. Shiro had told him, had taught him the riddle, had warned him of the spirit. He knew almost everything there was to know.

_ Almost _ .

He just didn’t know where it was.

Yet.

Running his fingers over the fading gold letters embossed at the top, he examined the spindly lines converging to form a landmass he’d yet to set eyes on.

Acrux.

The ultimate challenge. 

If he could do this, if he could make it to shore, find the legendary treasure, and make it out alive… well, he’d be a hero. He’d be rich beyond comprehension, he’d have everything, he would be able to find Shiro.

He… just had to work out how to get there. 

Everyone knew it was the southernmost landmass, after all, the riddle said so. But to just sail south without a destination, the chances of making it out alive were slim. It was the only reason the Red Lion hadn’t gone in search of the mystical island yet.

But now he had a map. He had directions. He had a  _ plan _ .

…A plan no one else really liked at all.

“ACRUX?!” Half the people in the Puigan docks turned in the direction of the shrill voice.

“I thought you were mad when you went after Lotor again, but _nooo_ you just _had_ to steal a map to fucking _Acrux_, the fucking _suicide_ _island_, and you expect _us_ to go there with you?” The point of Pidge’s blade was cold against Keith’s chest even through his shirt.

“Look, I know you’re our captain and all that, but I have to say I’m with Pidge on this one, buddy.” Hunk’s smile was apologetic, and he wouldn’t meet Keith’s eyes.

“Keith, I trust you, we all do, but this is a little too far. No one has made it back from Acrux alive, and I would rather like to live a while longer. As do we all, I’m sure.” Allura’s refusal was the kindest so far, and it almost,  _ almost _ made Keith change his mind.

“Ro, babe, what do you say?”

“No! I can’t  _ believe _ you even  _ thought _ this was a good idea! It’s  _ Acrux _ , Keith!  _ Acrux _ ! We’ll never make it out alive!”

“Exactly!” Hunk’s expression changed from relieved to mortified in the space of a second after he clamped his mouth shut. “I-I’m sorry, I just… Romelle, it’s like I think it, and you say it.”

Keith stared his crew down, one by one, surveying them.

“Too bad. We’re going.” He lowered Pidge’s knife with a careful finger. “We have until sunup to get whatever supplies we might need, and then we’re off.”

“To hell we are! I refuse, and I’m sure the others do too.” Pidge crossed their arms stubbornly.

“Look,” Keith’s gaze was stone cold, “I am your  _ captain _ , and this is a  _ direct order _ . You  _ will _ obey, and we  _ will _ set sail for Acrux by sunrise tomorrow. Now, go.”

When he wanted to, Keith could be borderline terrifying to even his crew, and although it rarely happened, it worked. 

Pidge and Romelle parted with withering looks shot over their shoulders, Hunk practically leapt down the gangplank in his attempt to put as much space between himself and Keith as he could, and Allura… she looked sad. A look on such a strong woman that made guilt work its way into Keith’s mind. He turned abruptly, shaking those thoughts.

This was  _ Acrux _ . Finally, his dream. He wasn’t going to ignore the opportunity that practically been handed to him on a silver platter. He’d lost too much to throw this away, no matter what the others thought. 

\----------°•.oOo.•°----------

Try as he might, Keith couldn’t get nearly as much sleep as he needed. He spent most of the night tossing and turning alone in his cabin, sleeping fitfully and infrequently. Finally, perhaps half an hour before sunrise, he gave up. He couldn’t be  _ too _ prepared, could he?

Making his way above decks, quietly so the creaking boards wouldn’t disturb anyone, Keith made sure the map was safe. It wouldn’t do any good to lose it now, just as they were about to set off. But it was still there, tucked beneath his sash next to his knife. 

“You’re up early, even for you.” 

Keith hadn’t even noticed the constant  _ krrrrrk krrrrrk krrrrrk _ of Pidge’s blades on their whetstone. 

“Couldn’t sleep,” He said, leaning against the railing they were perched on, looking out at the ocean on the other side of the docks.

_ Krrrrrk krrrrrk. _

“Finally come to your senses about this whole Acrux thing?”

“What? No, no. I need to do this. I need to… to…”

“Prove yourself?”

Keith sighed.

“I don’t know. Shiro, he… he used to say that only the best of the best could go to Acrux and make it out alive. Whoever finds the treasure will be a hero, they’ll go down as a legend. They’ll be rich, have everything. Pidge, I… I’ve  _ lost _ everything. Every _ one _ . As soon as I become comfortable, as soon as I trust someone or get attached, they’re ripped away. If I find this treasure, I’ll have everything. I’ll be able to find Shiro, and my mother, too. If I find this treasure, everything’ll be okay.” 

_ Krrrrrk krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk. _

“Are you sure?”

“What do you mean?” Keith furrowed his brow.

“Are you sure that’s what’ll happen? Or are you just saying that to make yourself feel better?” 

Keith looked away, unable to answer.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to tell you you’re wrong. No one’s come back from Acrux alive. Perhaps it  _ is _ as life changing as you think it will be. There’s only one way to find out.”

“So you’re okay with this?”

“No, but I don’t have any choice.” They shrugged, sheathing the knife with an impressive and unnecessary twirl, and hopping down from the railings. “I’ll go wake the others. After all, you did say we were leaving at sunup.”

It was true. The sun’s first rays were just spilling across the ocean, turning the waves a warm reddish-orangish colour. 

By the time Keith turned around, Pidge was already gone, and the day had begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The one thing that's convincing me to not post this yet is the fact doing the announcement posts of all my social media takes forever (esp with tagging on tumblr) and now I'm wondering when I'm gonna get time for that tomorrow bc I have no free periods. Oh well who cares about doing actual work in science. 
> 
> And don't get used to this 'posting every day thing' it won't last <s>she lies very badly</s>  
<s>Because eeehhhhhhh I miiiiight give in again</s>  
<s>Maybe</s>
> 
> Once again, my links, bc I need validation  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance)  
[Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/)  
[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/)
> 
> Comments are also good validation, btw. And kudos, but comments more so. 
> 
> See you in <s>one</s> two days!


	4. The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A crack of lightning illuminated the sky, casting the deck in a harsh white light for a single moment. Allura and Romelle were standing in each other’s arms, embracing before inevitable demise.
> 
> Keith didn’t blame them, to be entirely honest. Even his confidence was waning. 
> 
> There was something bright in the corner of his eye, something his unfocused mind told him was just lightning, but the flash was long faded. It was distracting, kept catching his eye, veering him off his course. 
> 
> \------
> 
> Keith's had to sail through some pretty intense storms before. Every sailor has, it's just part of the job. But this time, it's different. It's worse. It's trying to kill them. And the spirit hasn't even shown up yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So while I did keep hinting that I'd post this yesterday, and while I really wanted to, I'm on a holiday and the house doesn't have wifi. Which sucks. So here I am, perfectly on time. Not a day too early.
> 
> This isn't a super long chapter, but it's not too short either, so I hope it's enough to sustain you until Tuesday. Or possibly Monday. 
> 
> I'm running out of ways to say 'Jo is amazing' because I've said it so many times, so uh, Jo es increíble. That's Spanish btw (according to my translator). You can find her on [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BSforDays/pseuds/BSforDays), [Tumblr](https://bsfordays.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://bsfordays.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can also find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance), [Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/)
> 
> Kws gc, I know i've been pretty inactive for the past two days but I still love you all.
> 
> I'll shut up now, but not before saying plz leave comments and kudos.

“IF THERE IS REALLY AN AFTERLIFE I _ WILL _ HUNT YOU DOWN AND _ KILL _YOU, KEITH!” 

Although they were shouting, Keith could barely hear Pidge over the roar of the storm. 

“AND I’LL BE HELPING THEM!” Romelle spat out a strand of sodden hair only to have it blown back into her face.

There wasn’t any time to reply. Keith was too focused on keeping the ship upright to deal with angry crew-mates. He knew the waters near Acrux would be stormy. They always were, but this was almost unearthly.

Waves had crashed over the deck countless times, the rain was almost too thick to see through, and the wind was almost ripping the sails from the masts. 

Hunk was doing his best to keep everything together, both on the ship and his insides. Every so often when a fork of lightning tore the sky, Keith would catch a glimpse of the big guy rushing to the edge to throw up. Again. But considering they weren’t shipwrecked yet, he was doing a damn impressive job.

Allura, Romelle, and Pidge were all wrangling the sails. Pidge up in the rigging keeping them attached, the girls below with the ropes. 

And Keith? He was getting whacked over and over by the handles of the wheel, the image of the map seared into his mind, trying desperately to follow the southern star. 

Up until a good hour or two ago, it had been smooth sailing all the way from Puig, clear skies, perfect winds. They were on course, due to arrive at Acrux within the half-hour. Even Hunk was starting to see the good side of the voyage.

Then, out of nowhere it seemed, the sky blackened and the heavens opened. 

Now everyone was back to wanting to kill Keith.

But that didn’t faze him. Neither did the storm. 

Keith had been hurt before. He’d been beaten up, scarred, but that was all superficial. No matter what the weather could throw at him, it could never be worse than the hurt he’d felt before. And he’d lived through that.

So, he gritted his teeth and wrenched the wheel around with as much strength as he could muster, his yell whipped away before even he could hear it.

The ship altered its course, the wind staying the same and trying to push it sideways, failing as Keith used all the strength he had to keep the wheel in place. 

Risking a glance upwards, Keith tried to see the stars, navigating off the very few he could locate through the storm clouds. At least they were close.

“KEITH!” A shrill voice pierced the air. “ROCKS!”

Pidge was right, a looming mass was quickly approaching, one that looked all too unforgiving. 

Somehow, using some strength Keith wasn’t sure where he got it from, he turned the wheel even more, saving the ship from becoming a pile of splinters, but only barely. The rock scraped along the port side of the ship, and Keith prayed she would hold. 

A crack of lightning illuminated the sky, casting the deck in a harsh white light for a single moment. Allura and Romelle were standing in each other’s arms, embracing before inevitable demise.

Keith didn’t blame them, to be entirely honest. Even _ his _ confidence was waning. 

There was something bright in the corner of his eye, something his unfocused mind told him was just lightning, but the flash was long faded. It was distracting, kept catching his eye, veering him off his course. 

Quickly swiping his bangs from his eyes, Keith turned his head momentarily, trying to find the source of the light.

It certainly wasn’t lightning. Unless lightning had changed its mind and started glowing blue from beneath the waves. 

The more he looked, the less Keith wanted to look away. The light was… beautiful, enticing, it made him feel something he hadn’t felt in too long. It made him feel _ safe _ . He wanted to be closer, closer closer_closer _ , he needed that feeling, he needed _ more _ and he needed it _ now _.

He didn’t realise he’d turned the ship completely around until Pidge was next to him, slapping his face and yelling.

“What the fuck was that for?!” He didn’t dare raise a hand from the wheel to rub his somewhat stinging cheek.

“It’s the spirit, idiot! The one that kills everybody! And you’re following it!” They yelled, clinging to the railings to avoid getting tossed overboard by the storm.

Keith looked ahead for a moment, to the blue glow. To the spirit. While he no longer felt any sort of compelling urges, something about its glow just felt… _ right _. This wasn’t like before, he wasn’t in a stupor. His mind was his own, he had complete control over himself, but the spirit’s light still felt right. 

He didn’t change course.

“Keith! Do you _ want _ to die?” Pidge looked at him in horror, as did the girls on the deck, but Keith just ignored them, focusing on the light.

It was always two steps ahead of the ship, sometimes a little to the right or the left, drawing the Red Lion onwards. Another resonating _ boom _ accompanied a flash, and what the crew saw certainly shut their protests up.

Deadly looking rocks jutted from the water on either side of the ship, creating a channel barely wide enough to let them through. It twisted and turned, narrowly avoiding instant death. Something no sailor would be able to navigate in a storm.

More than one outcrop had bits and pieces of ship’s corpses. Whether it be a pile of planks, a torn sail, fallen rigging, it served as a reminder as to what would happen if Keith made just one wrong move.

The white light died after the moment passed, blue glow of the spirit reigniting. 

Everyone was silent now. Watching, waiting, unsure if they’d live to survive, or be drawn onto the rocks like all those before them. 

Keith knew, he _ knew _ that the spirit killed. It slaughtered entire crews mercilessly, lulling them into a false sense of security then destroying them. He knew that in all likelihood, they wouldn’t make it out alive.

If it came to it, Keith would order the others to escape, to save themselves. They had lives to get back to, people who cared about them. Romelle’s brother, Allura’s uncle, Hunk’s sprawling family and girlfriend, Pidge’s mother, who would break if she lost her youngest child at sea, just like their brother and father.

Keith, he had no one. Nothing. If he died here, no one would remember him, let alone miss him.

But it hadn’t come to that yet, the ship still followed the spirit, sails illuminated ever-so-faintly by the cyan light.

The noise of the storm was all but drowned out to Keith, his one focus being the spirit. His crew were still on the deck, quiet, unmoving. 

Rain soaked the already sodden ship, and then suddenly, it didn’t.

Wind pushed them back, warning, trying to save them, and then suddenly, it didn’t.

Waves splashed between the railings, saltwater mingling with fresh, and then suddenly, they didn’t.

No one said anything.

With the spirit having vanished the moment everything else did, the only source of light was in the pregnant moon, casting a silver light over everything in its reach.

The water was still, the only movement the ripples caused by the Red Lion, spreading out, out, out, then fading to nothingness.

They were flying, it seemed. Endless sky above, endless sky below, twin moons, stars surrounding them at every turn.

And there, directly ahead, a mass of land, almost glittering in the night.

Acrux, just as ethereal as the legends said.

There was no wind, no need to steer, they weren’t going anywhere.

Keith’s hands slid from the wheel, his lips parting in awe. He’d done it, they were here, they were _ alive _.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOW WE'RE GETTING TO THE GOOD PART
> 
> After this, the chapters get,,, a lot longer. I say a lot but it's not like it goes from 1.5k to 5k, just closer to 3k I think. 
> 
> Links again, plz come say hi.  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance)  
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[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/)
> 
> Or say hi here by leaving a comment, wink wink.


	5. The Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quiet snores coming from his crew and the gentle waves lapping against the soft sand offered the perfect backdrop for Keith’s mind to wander wherever it pleased.
> 
> Or, more accurately, obsess over one thing in particular.
> 
> He’d felt the lure of the spirit, felt his mind slip away, the warmth, the need to be closer, closer, closer. He’d felt what those who returned barely alive from the outskirts spoke of. 
> 
> He’d felt it all, but only for moments. 
> 
> \------
> 
> Now that the crew of the Red Lion have achieved something no one ever believed was possible, Keith should be happy. He should be excited, she should be proud. He should, but he isn't. Instead, He can't stop thinking about the spirit. Something about it didn't feel right. Or, rather, it did, but it didn't match up with the stories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all. Look, imma be frank. I wrote a hugeass beginning notes, and then my laptop died. Everything deleted. So yeah, this'll be short bc I don't have the energy rn to do it all over again. 
> 
> Jo, I love you, thanks for being my real mum.  
[AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BSforDays/pseuds/BSforDays)  
[Tumblr](https://bsfordays.tumblr.com/)  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/bs_fordays)
> 
> Kws gc, thanks for listening to my rants about my mum. Thanks for being there to remind me I'm not overreacting and that it's her that's in the wrong. You guys mean the world to me.
> 
> My links:  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance)  
[Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/)  
[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/)
> 
> I'm feeling kinda down rn (if you couldn't tell) so a comment or two would be nice

Everything had been soaked in the storm. So much that the ceilings were dripping, and no one wanted to sleep on the ship. The anchor had been dropped, what food had survived packed up along with the driest blankets they could find, and the rowboat - now tied to a branch stuck firmly in the sand - bobbed in the gentle waves.

Allura had started a fire so everyone could dry themselves out as it wasn’t cold enough to warrant one otherwise, Hunk had cobbled together some makeshift shelters, and everyone had knocked out immediately after such a grueling experience.

Everyone except Keith.

He’d forgone the individual shelter Hunk had provided him with, instead gifting it to Pidge in favour of sleeping under the stars. Not that he was getting much sleep anyway.

The quiet snores coming from his crew and the gentle waves lapping against the soft sand offered the perfect backdrop for Keith’s mind to wander wherever it pleased.

Or, more accurately, obsess over one thing in particular.

He’d felt the lure of the spirit, felt his mind slip away, the warmth, the need to be closer, closer,  _ closer _ . He’d felt what those who returned barely alive from the outskirts spoke of. 

He’d felt it all, but only for moments. 

As soon as Pidge had hit him, he’d come back to the present. To the truth. But still, he had looked upon the light many more times, and never again felt ensnared as he had before.

Sure, something about the spirit’s glow felt… different, but he had control over his own mind. 

He wasn’t immune, that wasn’t why they’d managed to survive. He knew that much. If he wasn’t immune, why were they still here? Why had the spirit suddenly failed to charm him? Why, why,  _ why _ ?

And that feeling… not the fake one, the one after. He didn’t feel the same saccharine safety, but there was something in his heart that unclenched. Something he hadn’t realised had been clenched in the first place. Something that tugged, or something that was tugging from the other side. Something gentle and something scared and something  _ else _ .

Huffing angrily, Keith turned over, facing the ocean. 

There was no sign of the storm, no clouds, no rain, no waves, and seemingly no rocks. 

No glow, either. For some reason that disappointed Keith.

Up in the sky, the moon had just passed its peak, making the previous day feel like an endless night. 

Keith gave up trying to sleep, hauling himself to a sitting position and bringing his knees to his chest. 

The sand between his toes wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t all too cold either. Beside him was his boots and his cutlass, red bandanna tied to the hilt. His knife was still at his waist, the one thing that never left his person.

He looked at the ocean, then his sleeping crew.

Ocean.

Crew. 

Ocean again.

Gathering up his dark locks into one hand, he fumbled with the knot of the bandanna, untying it and retying it around his hair, securing it in a small, messy tail.

Romelle shifted in her sleep as he stood, but she didn’t wake up. 

Although the sand absorbed what little noise he made walking down to the water, Keith was still cautious not to wake his crew. Judging by their reactions to him following the spirit, they’d straight up murder him if they knew what he was doing now.

Much to his surprise, the water wasn’t nearly as cold as he’d expected. In fact, he might even go as far to say it was pretty warm. He’d been to plenty of tropical islands to know what warm ocean was like, and somehow here, on the other side of the biggest storm he’d experienced in his life, it was no different.

The almost non-existent waves ebbed and flowed against his legs as he waded deeper, almost up to his waist. There he stood for a moment, twisting his head to look back at the island. The warm glow of the fire wasn’t much more than a smear in the dark, twisting and turning on the shore.

He’d expected it to be harder than this, since it hadn’t even crossed his mind that the water would be anything other than icy, so diving under didn’t offer too many difficulties.

After submerging himself once, Keith stood up again, flicking his bangs from his eyes, his shirt sticking to his skin. 

Where the seafloor had been mostly a gentle slope from the beach to his position, the drop off to slightly deeper waters was just up ahead.

Taking the biggest gulp of air he could manage, Keith launched himself forwards, off the sandbank, down into the ocean. 

Though the moon was bright, the light was diluted through the waves, shafts of silver barely illuminating the corals and rocks beneath Keith. That didn’t matter though.

Like the spirit, its habitat shone cyan in the darkness. It was unlike anything he’d seen before; the glow that sparkled for only a few feet before fading. Even the sand glittered, refracting both the moon and the bioluminescence, making it seem like Keith was swimming in a totally different world.

It wasn’t until his chest started burning that he realised that maybe he might need to breathe, considering he wasn’t actually a fish.

Sticking his head above the water, Keith didn’t wait long until he was back under. This time with a plan. 

The stories said the spirit was nothing but a glow. A corporeal being, a feeling more than anything. Keith didn’t believe that. He didn’t  _ want _ to believe that. He didn’t want to believe that whatever had made him feel so… different wasn’t real, and he was determined to find it again.

Both the feeling and the being.

Further and further he swam, only stopping to swallow down another breath of air, but he was still unsuccessful. Sure, the terrain - could it be called that? - was amazing, but there was no sign of any life other than himself and the shoals of tiny, iridescent fish that flitted in and out of the crags. 

It was when he was above the water, looking up at the moon that had shifted in the hour he’d been searching, wondering if he should just swim back to the shore when he heard it. The unmistakable  _ bloop _ of something large dropping down into the water quickly. 

His head snapped in the direction of the sound, and, sure enough, ripples were spreading outwards from a spot perhaps 30 from him. 

So, guess he wasn’t going back to shore then.

Using the coral structures to pull himself forwards, Keith’s eyes darted about, looking for any sign of movement, of the spirit, of  _ anything _ .

A large rock was up ahead, one whose tip just brushed the surface, making it perfect for hiding behind. As Keith leaned around it, lungs screaming, but being ignored, he felt the water ahead of him move in a way it shouldn’t. As if something had pushed it. Something large.

Unable to ignore his need for air any longer, Keith barely broke the water before he was back at it, eyes scanning every nook and cranny, and-  _ there! _ Darting somewhere to his right, the tip of… of a fin? 

Perhaps it was just a big fish. After all, a spirit was supposed to be a spirit, right? Corporeal and stuff? Still, there was no harm in checking it out. 

He dove once again, but this time… this time he was more cautious. Sneaking around rock structures, hiding, pretending he wasn’t there. Enough to lure the thing into a false sense of security. 

After a very,  _ very _ long game of cat-and-mouse - well, a more dulled down version, anyway - Keith had his back pressed against a rough slab that he was almost certain the spirit was on the other side of. 

Well, there was only one way to find out.

If he could, he would have taken a deep breath, steadying himself, but since he was underwater and human, he couldn’t. He settled for a self-confirming nod of the head instead.

Gripping the edge of the stone, Keith was thankful he’d kept his wrappings on, because he was sure he’d be bleeding by now if he hadn’t. 

Three…

Two… 

And one!

He pulled himself forwards and around, hopefully fast enough to startle the spirit and to get a good look at it. Beyond that… he didn’t really have a plan, to be honest. 

It was fast enough, but what Keith saw was not what he expected to see in the slightest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me again, still down. To anyone reading the end notes, thank you. Thanks you for taking time out of your day/night to read what I've created. Thank you. I love you.
> 
> Links again  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance)  
[Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/)  
[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/)
> 
> Comments are always nice, and I'll see you in two days <3


	6. The Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And there it was. That feeling.
> 
> Not the alluring one, not the one that ensnared and killed, but the other one.
> 
> His insides unclenched, his heart unclenched, and then… then, everything was going to be okay. Well, okayish. It wasn’t the utopic okay of the lure, but rather the quiet promise that one day, one day everything would be okay. Keith would be okay. The quiet promise that while things may be less than ideal now, Keith would push through, and… and he’d be okay.
> 
> It was also the feeling that he wasn’t alone. He didn’t have to be alone anymore. Sure, Keith wasn’t the most sociable of people, but having next to no one got pretty lonely pretty quickly. 
> 
> This feeling, while it had most of what the other had, was better. It was truer, more real. And yes, less enticing and a lot duller, but it was there all the same
> 
> \------
> 
> Keith was not known for planning ahead. He'd reached Acrux, now was stuck without a plan. He'd found the spirit. But what now? What do you do when a magical being turns everything you thought you knew on its head? What do you do when the one thing that makes you feel okay seems to hate your very being?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've run out of ways to start the notes kfjdsh
> 
> Anyways, I keep saying things are just about to get good, and I mean it. This is the first of the Good™ chapters, and they only get better from here on in.
> 
> Anonymous blobfish (otherwise known as Jo), thank you infinitely for taking time from your days/nights to beta this for me, you're amazing. Here's her [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BSforDays/pseuds/BSforDays) [Tumblr](https://bsfordays.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bs_fordays). And yes, I realised I somehow stuffed up the links for who knows how many chapters previously but imma fix them.
> 
> And now my socials.  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance)  
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> 
> Leave a comment!!

When Keith had been thinking the creature was a large fish, it turned out he wasn’t all  _ too _ wrong. From the waist down, it was a fish. Its tail azure, glowing and iridescent in the moonlight. 

It looked powerful too, which explained the speed at which the creature could move. A single beat would probably take it the length of ten of Keith’s kicks, and with much more accuracy.

Its tailfin was translucent - not to mention huge. It was a mass of floating blueness drifting in the currents, distorting the phosphorus light of the seafloor. As if that wasn’t a beautiful enough effect, beads of bioluminescence hung suspended in the membrane, blinking away in the night ocean. 

That was certainly not all, however. A thin length of a similar membrane, just as flowing as its fluke, ran up the entire length of the tail, and as if  _ that _ wasn’t enough, two more pectoral fins adorned the scales. 

And - Keith couldn’t help but notice - the tail was long. Like, really long. It curled around a not-that-small rock and still had enough length to float about a little. 

From the waist up, however. Well,  _ fish _ was about as wrong as you could get.

“Quiznak,” it said. No,  _ he _ said. 

Because yes. He was unmistakably a he.

Beautiful bronze skin, littered with freckle-like scales across his shoulders and face, a perfectly sculpted body - slim but strong with broad shoulders. Curly chocolate hair, floating idly around pointed, scaled ears. Illuminated from beneath by solid cyan eyes, wide in surprise. 

“Quiznak,” he repeated, uncurling his tail from its position.

Though Keith wished he was amphibious, he wasn’t, and was unfortunately rather needing some air at this point. He was only above water for a  _ second _ , but a second was all the mer needed to skedaddle.

The tip of a fin - fast for something that size - disappeared around yet another rock. Keith followed it, managing to catch a glimpse as it turned another corner, seemingly always just that little bit too far ahead.

But Keith wasn’t one to give up.

He followed and chased, using whatever he could to give himself as much speed as possible. And somehow, it was working. Somehow, he was getting closer. Somehow, he could reach out, and  _ somehow _ , he managed to get a hold on the flesh of the tail, which was surprisingly rougher than he thought it would be.

“What in the quiznak!” The mer shook his tail, effectively losing Keith and trying to escape again. 

Not on his watch.

Keith shot out a hand, scraping his fingers raw on the scales as the limb (was it a limb?) sped through, but it did the trick.

And there it was. That feeling.

Not the alluring one, not the one that ensnared and killed, but the other one.

His insides unclenched, his  _ heart _ unclenched, and then… then, everything was going to be okay. Well, okayish. It wasn’t the utopic okay of the lure, but rather the quiet promise that one day,  _ one day _ everything would be okay. Keith would be okay. The quiet promise that while things may be less than ideal now, Keith would push through, and… and he’d be okay.

It was also the feeling that he wasn’t alone. He didn’t have to be alone anymore. Sure, Keith wasn’t the most sociable of people, but having next to no one got pretty lonely pretty quickly. 

This feeling, while it had most of what the other had, was better. It was truer, more real. And yes, less enticing and a lot duller, but it was there all the same

“Just quiznaking let go of me already!” The mer stopped, his stance such that Keith could clearly see that instead of fingernails, he had what seemed to be talons. And it didn’t look like he was too afraid to use them, either. All the fins, no matter how delicate, managed to flare defensively, creating a wall around him.

But if you asked Keith, the mer looked somewhat scared, too.

“What do you want?” The mer spat, glaring at him.

Well, he could have been glaring to the side of Keith, since he had no visible pupils for Keith to discern directions off.

Keith, being human, was unable to answer underwater. He sincerely doubted it would work, but he gestured upwards towards the surface.

There was no reason for the mer to follow him, to humour Keith’s request. He could very easily just swim away, ditch the sodden pirate captain and disappear into the night once again. He obviously wasn’t very happy about Keith being there anyway.

He’d done it before. Hell, they’d spent most of the night chasing and being chased, hiding and seeking. It was clear the mer did not want to interact with Keith in the slightest, and he suspected that if he hung around too long, he may not live to tell the tale. Or if he did, there would be a new pattern of scars decorating his skin.

But despite all this, two heads broke the surface, one gasping for air.

“You’re the spirit,” he said after sufficiently refilling his lungs. Keith wasn’t the biggest fan of small talk.

“Um, no. I’m pretty solid, thanks. And plus, ‘the spirit’? What spirit?” Above water, the mer’s voice was… odd. Different. Slightly warbley. Keith didn’t know the specifics as to  _ how _ it was different, probably something to do with how sound carries through water versus air. Pidge would know, he thought briefly. Would know and would spend at least an hour explaining. Probably with diagrams.

“Y’know…” Keith struggled to find any footing in the deep water. “The spirit of Acrux. You. I think. Thought. The one that lives in the waters surrounding the island. The one that…” He paused, swallowing. This was a pretty big accusation, and he really,  _ really _ didn’t want to be on the receiving end of those talons. 

“The one that…?” The mer looked at him, impatient.

“The one that kills everyone.”

The mer crossed his arms. “I don’t mean to offend this spirit or anything, but if it supposedly kills everyone, it’s done a pretty shoddy job considering you’re still here.” It appeared he was not having the same struggle with staying upright, being mer and all. “Plus, I’m like,  _ literally _ the only thing that lives here besides the fish. So sorry, no spirit. You’ve got the wrong island.” 

The mer went to dive back underwater, but once again, Keith shot out a hand. 

“Wait!” This time, instead of grabbing anything with scales (or rather, anything completely covered in scales), Keith gripped the mer’s wrist. “Wait, please.” 

The mer - did mer have names? He’d have to ask - tilted his head, looking back at Keith. 

“You’re right, there’s no spirit. There never was. It’s you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder how many people even read the end comments? I know I always do, I always wanna read everything an author's written.
> 
> So to anyone actually reading this, how's your day/night been? I hope it was good, and if it wasn't I hope this made you smile just a tiny bit.
> 
> If you wanna find me to chat, I'm on[Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance) [Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/)
> 
> Or, leave a comment! I reply to every one.


	7. The Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So…” Keith began, completely unsure where he was going to take the sentence.
> 
> “So,” the mer repeated.
> 
> “Do you have a name?” Now was as good of a time to ask as any.
> 
> The mer’s head shot up from their arms. “Quiznak! I’m such an idiot!” He cursed.
> 
> “I’m taking that as a yes, then. I’m Keith. Keith Kogane.” He held out a hand for the mer to shake.
> 
> \------
> 
> Time must work differently on Acrux, because Keith had fallen faster than he'd ever fallen before. But the mer didn't need to know that, not yet anyway. There were other things to sort out, other things to talk about. And besides, perhaps Keith didn't quite want to admit it just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So instead of writing the notes, or doing anything productive in the slightest, I just read the last three chapters. Of my own fic. But now I'm here again. 
> 
> God I love writing conversations. You can probably tell, especially if you read a lot of my stuff. Basically everything revolves around words, and the action scenes are.............. nooooot the best. Dialogue,,, it's just easier for me. I like writing talking, but not actually talking.
> 
> Jo is literally an angel I cannot express this enough. She catches like EVERYTHING and makes me sound far better at this whole writing malarky than I actually am. I love you forever Jo. You can find her on [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BSforDays/pseuds/BSforDays) [Tumblr](https://bsfordays.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bs_fordays)
> 
> You can also find ME on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance), [Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/), and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/)
> 
> Or you can leave a comment. Or you can do all the things because why not.

The mer stilled in the water, averting his eyes. “I never meant to kill anyone.”

“So it’s true? You’re the supposed spirit of Acrux?” Keith asked, fingers still encircling the mer’s thin wrist.

“Congratulations,” the mer began, a very clearly fake elation in his voice. “You figured it out. I suppose you want a prize now.” 

“No! No, of course not. I just…” Keith had no way to finish his sentence. Right from the beginning, there had never been a plan. He’d come to Acrux because he wanted to. he’d dived into the water in search of the spirit, but past that, he had nothing. 

“You just what?” 

“I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing. All I know is that I wanted to find you again,” Keith admitted with a shrug.

Because he did. He wanted to find the source of that feeling once more. Call him selfish, but that was the truth, and nothing but. He wanted to at least be able to pretend he was cared about, that he wasn’t alone in this world for once. It was something he didn’t know he was missing until he felt it again.

Okay  _ maybe _ he knew he was missing it, but he had refused to acknowledge it. Until now, when it was almost impossible to ignore. It tugged at his heart, it battered his mental fortress, it enveloped his mind until he couldn’t think of anything else.

But strangely enough, he didn’t mind. 

“Well, tada, here I am. You found me.” The mer shrugged. “Now please, just leave me alone.” He pulled his wrist from Keith’s loosened grip with ease.

“Are you… okay?” Keith was not the best at feelings and everything that came with it, whether it be his own or someone else’s. As someone who had always hidden his own feelings down in such a dark corner that even he couldn’t see them, Keith wasn’t that great at recognising when other people were down. Whatever it was,  _ something _ was up with the mer.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Totally fine. Just great. So uh, please leave.” 

Keith wasn’t convinced. “I don’t believe you.”

“Well, you can not believe as much as you want, but please, I don’t want to talk about it, okay?” The mer’s gaze pleaded as much as his voice did, easily persuading Keith to drop the subject. 

“Okay.” Keith’s voice was quiet, and he glanced around trying to locate the shore. “I guess… I might see you around?” He said as a way of farewell to the mer, both knowing the likelihood was slim. 

The swim back to his crew would be a long one, especially considering how tired his limbs were already. Better start now, before he fell asleep in the water and drowned.

He was barely ten feet away when the mer called out.

“Wait!” It was blurted. The type of ‘wait’ that one wants to say much earlier, the type of wait one spends time agonising over whether they should say it.

“I- I’m sorry. I just… don’t go. Please.” 

Well, that was conclusively  _ not _ what Keith had been expecting him to say.

“I’m sorry, I really am. But please, don’t leave.” The mer swam tentatively closer.

“O- okay. I can stay. I just kinda need somewhere to sit.” Keith stopped in the water, facing the mer.

Why he wanted him to stay, he didn’t know, but Keith would. Truth be told, he never wanted to leave in the first place, so to have a reason to stay - albeit a somewhat confusing one given how the mer insisted he left not ten minutes prior - was very much welcome. 

“Oh. Right. Right, okay. Um…” The mer looked around for a moment, before inhaling sharply and grabbing Keith’s hand. “Come with me.”

It wasn’t like Keith had much choice in the matter, given the death grip currently crushing his fingers. He was correct about one beat of the mer’s tail taking him far further than any human could go in one movement. How did he know? Because currently, they were rocketing around the rocks faster than Keith thought was even possible.

There was, however, one downside. Actually, scrap that. There were a lot of downsides; he couldn’t open his eyes, he occasionally bumped against a rock, the water was like a wall in front of his face, and, oh yeah,  _ he couldn’t breathe either _ . 

He started attempting to yell to get the mer’s attention, but he didn’t think it was working that well. When his lungs were about to explode from lack of oxygen, he managed to give two feeble squeezes to the mer’s hand. This, it seemed, got the message across, and they slowed, enabling Keith to break the surface and splutter about like a dying fish for a good minute. 

“Are you okay? Did I do something?” The mer asked, face riddled with worry.

“I- I can’t…” Keith gulped down another mouthful of air. “I can’t breathe underwater,” he managed to say between gasps.

“Quiznak.” The word seemed to be some mer curse, judging by the conditions when it had been uttered. “I’m so sorry, I completely forgot. I swear I wasn’t trying to kill you. I promise that wasn’t it, I really do. I just forgot, I’m really really-”

“Hey.” Keith swam over, putting a hand on the mer’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I believe you. Just… try not to forget again, please.” 

“I’m sorry,” the mer repeated yet again, his voice overflowing with sincerity and guilt. 

“I said it was okay, okay? I’m still alive, that’s what matters.” 

“Still, I-” 

“No. If you keep apologising, we’ll be stuck here all night and all day, and I don’t know about you, but I think there’s better places to be stuck.” That earned him a small smile from the mer. “Now, why don’t you continue taking me to wherever we were going?” 

“Yeah. Okay.” The mer turned in the water, but he didn’t grab Keith’s hand again. “Hop on, this way’ll probably be better, actually.” 

Keith was confused until the mer reached behind him, making grabbing motions with his taloned hands. Oh, okay. So he was supposed to… to get on his back. Right. Okay.

Gingerly, he looped his arms over the mer’s shoulders, pressing his chest to his scaled back. The mer was warm, and very solid beneath him, and perhaps he just held on a fraction tighter than he needed to. Just perhaps.

Or perhaps he didn’t. When the mer shot off again, Keith found himself slipping slightly, and even further tightened his grip, burying his face into the nape of the mer’s neck to shield it from the rush of water.

He wouldn’t admit it in a thousand years, but clinging to this almost-boy’s back… he really enjoyed it. It felt right. Then again, everything about the mer felt right to Keith.

When he next needed a breath, he gave a squeeze, and the mer resurfaced quickly. Opening his eyes and blinking back the salty water, Keith couldn’t help but notice that the land was suddenly a  _ lot _ closer than it had been before. How fast could this mer swim?

“Was I in time?” The mer turned his head, Keith still clinging to his back.

“Yeah, yeah, perfectly. I haven’t suffocated, or even come close.” Keith tried to shake his bangs from his eyes but failed.

The mer must have noticed, because a black clawed finger came up to Keith’s forehead, the knuckle brushing softly across his damp skin as he pushed Keith’s hair aside. Thank god it was dark, because Keith was pretty sure he was the same colour as his bandanna.

“Are… are you supposed to go red?” The mer asked softly. Inquisitively.

So the mer could see in the dark. Brilliant. It only made Keith blush harder, choking out an, “It’s okay,” that was at least an octave higher than his usual voice.

“I’ll take your word for it.” The mer lowered his hand, ducking his head away as well. “You ready for another go?”

“As soon as you are, I am. Just give me a moment’s warning,” Keith confirmed.

“Okay. Diving… now.”

Keith took a last gulp of air before he was plunged back into the water again, probably this time the last. For now, at least. 

Keith was right in assuming so, as, the next time he squeezed for a breath, the mer had to tell him it was “just a bit further.”

His voice was nice underwater. It sounded more human, and quavered less. It was also utterly beautiful, if you asked Keith. It was smooth, rich and  _ warm _ , overflowing with emotions and soul. It reminded him of the moon glinting off the glassy ocean, of the twinkling blue flora that illuminated the seafloor. It reminded him of  _ home _ .

Home in the sense of the word, not of a particular place. Because to Keith, home would never be a place. When he was younger, it had been the cottage, then it had been the alley he’d claimed for his own, then, it had been with Shiro and Adam, and now? Well, he supposed it was aboard the red lion, but it didn’t feel quite right. It didn’t feel like the mer.

Since he’d squeezed a little early, Keith wasn’t gasping when he met the air once more, but he was certainly grateful to be able to fill his lungs.

“Sorry! We were in a tunnel and there was nowhere to surface, but I swam as fast as I could.”

“What did I say about apologising?” Keith squeezed the mer in somewhat of a hug. “I’m completely fine.”

“Heh, I’m sorry for saying sorry so many times.” The mer - he  _ still _ didn’t know his name or even if he had one - swam slowly forwards. Keith couldn’t tell where they were going, given everything was utterly, completely, pitch black. Everything including the mer’s fins, strangely enough. Was it something he was able to control? Keith had no clue.

“Here.” The mer stopped. “There’s a ledge, you can sit up there.”

Keith felt the mer’s hands on his arms, taking one and resting his hand against stone so Keith could get his bearings.

Slipping his other arm back over the mer’s shoulders, Keith hauled himself up onto the ledge so only his legs were dangling in the water.

“Where are you? I can’t see anything,” he said to what could very possibly be a now empty room.

It wasn’t though.

“I’m here.” The voice came from beside his legs, but that wasn’t what caught Keith’s attention.

Slowly, the mer’s tail - all of it, not just the fins - began to glow, illuminating the cavern with its glittering glow. It was only now Keith realised just how long his tail was. It curled more than once, looping around itself, almost reaching the other side of the lagoon.

The light shone beams through the water, reflected off the moisture on the ceiling and cast everything in a blue glow bright enough to let Keith see.

Turning his head, he looked to the mer’s face. His eyes were also glowing, as were the scales on his cheeks, shoulders, ears, back, and, well, everywhere really.

He was the most beautiful thing Keith had ever seen.

“Wow…” It was barely audible, even to Keith, but the mer heard it and smiled, resting his cheek on his folded arms, looking up at Keith with an expression that could only be described as… as fondness.

“Thanks.” His voice was equally as soft. 

The two sat in comfortable silence for another minute, Keith still trying to take in the sheer beauty that was this being, the mer just… twisting his tail slowly, still looking up at Keith.

“So…” Keith began, completely unsure where he was going to take the sentence.

“So,” the mer repeated.

“Do you have a name?” Now was as good of a time to ask as any.

The mer’s head shot up from their arms. “Quiznak! I’m such an idiot!” He cursed.

“I’m taking that as a yes, then. I’m Keith. Keith Kogane.” He held out a hand for the mer to shake.

“Lance. Just Lance.” The mer replied, looking strangely at the outstretched hand. “Do I…?” He prodded Keith’s palm gently with the tip of a talon. 

“Oh, uh. It’s a human thing. Don’t worry about it. It’s stupid, I don’t even know where it comes from.” Keith withdrew his hand, rubbing his thumb against his index finger. 

“Okay.” the mer -  _ Lance _ \- repositioned his head on his arms, still looking at Keith.

“So, Lance.” Once again, Keith had nothing to say, but just sitting in silence seemed… it was nice but it still seemed a little odd. 

“Yup. That’s my name,” Lance smiled.

“Are you… are you the only mer around here?”

The question made the smile fade prematurely, and though he still had no pupils, Keith could tell Lance had averted his gaze to look back at the water.

“Yeah.” He sounded sad, somewhat sorrowful, even.

“Oh.” Keith didn’t know what to say. He knew what loneliness felt like, of course he did, but there were always other people around, no matter how infuriating. 

“I don’t even know if there’s any mer anywhere else. Do you? Have you seen any in other places?” Lance asked, his voice so full of hope Keith almost lied so he didn’t have to shatter Lance’s heart.

“I’m really sorry, but… you’re the only mer I’ve ever come across, and I haven’t heard of any either. I really am sorry, Lance.” Before his brain could overthink the action, Keith reached out a hand and gripped the mer’s arm lightly.

“It’s okay. It’s not like I’d be able to meet them anyway.” Keith barley knew Lance and he already couldn’t bear to see him in such a crushing mood.

“What do you mean?” 

Lance sighed, lifting one of his own hands to cover Keith’s. “I can’t leave the island,” he admitted simply.

Keith was silent once more. In disbelief, because surely, couldn’t Lance just… swim away? He seemed to know his way around pretty well, it couldn’t be that hard, surely.

“I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true. I’ve tried again and again and again, but… it won’t let me leave.” 

“What won’t?”

“The storm. The one you came through. I know you can’t see it from this side, but once you get in range, it reappears. I’ve tried to get through it so many times, but… but it won’t let me. It pushes me back, it moves the rocks, it does everything it can… and it succeeds. Every single time.” Lance drew a shaky breath. Could mer cry? If they could, then he certainly seemed to be very close to doing so.

Keith was, yet again, struck dumb. And not for a good reason. How long had Lance been trapped here? How many times had he tried to escape? Considering the legend went back at least hundreds of years ago, if not a few thousand, had he been here all this time? Alone, trapped, cursed to never be free?

So instead of words, Keith did something he rarely did. Ever. He leant down and hugged Lance as tight as possible. Sure, it was a bit of an awkward hug, but he was doing the best he could.

“I’m gonna get you out,” he murmured into Lance’s shoulder.

“What?”

“I’m gonna get you out. From here. You’ll be free.”

“Keith…” Lance reached a hand up and rested it on the fabric of Keith’s shirt. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I’m not worth it. For all I know, you’re trapped here as well.”

“It doesn’t matter. I  _ am _ getting you out. Or I’ll die trying. You deserve to be free.”

Lance sighed, somewhat exasperated. “I said I don’t want you to get hurt. Don’t worry about me, I’m pretty used to being stuck here.”

“How long has it been?” Keith sat up, still keeping a hand on Lance’s arm. 

“It doesn’t matter.” Lance turned his head so he was facing away from Keith.

“Lance. How long?” Keith pressed.

“I said it doesn’t matter!” 

“Okay. Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry,” Keith apologised with a squeeze of Lance’s arm.

His next words were almost too quiet to hear. “Three thousand years.”

Keith drew a short, sharp breath.

“I’ve been here three  _ thousand _ years.” Lance turned his head again, voice even more watery than usual. 

“God, Lance…” Keith shook his head. 

A choked sob escaped from the mer, who quickly clamped his lips shut before it could be followed by another.

“C’mere,” Keith said, leaning over to haul Lance’s body up until he was leaning against Keith’s side. 

It only took a moment until Lance’s arms were around his torso, squeezing the life out of him, and his head was burrowing itself as far into Keith’s shoulder as it could.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” Despite the dampness of the water, Lance’s hair was still silky soft as Keith started to run his fingers through it in an attempt to comfort the mer.

“I had a family, Keith.” Lance looked up from beneath his bangs. “I had a family, a mother, a father, two sisters, two brothers, niblings. I had a family and it took me from them.”

“What did?” Keith whispered, still carding his fingers through Lance’s curls.

“The storm. It came and… and it took me from them. The last thing I remember-” Another sob wracked his body, and this time, tears followed, dripping onto Keith’s already sodden shirt. “The last thing I remember was Rachel’s hand slipping through mine.” 

That was seriously messed up, Keith couldn’t help but think. He didn’t know who Rachel was, but he assumed it was one of Lance’s sisters. 

“After the first thousand years…” Lance continued, sniffling. “After the first thousand years, I began to forget things. I can’t remember my niece or nephew’s names, I don’t know what my own twin looks like, or the colour of Luis’ tail. My mother’s voice is gone, and my grandmother may as well be a ghost for all I can picture her.” He was properly crying now, gripping to Keith as if his life depended on it, entire body shaking.

“I just want to go home, but even- even if I can escape, I’m three thousand years too late.” 

“Lance…” 

“They’re dead, Keith. No mer could live three thousand years. They’re dead and I’ll-” He sobbed loudly, the sound echoing around the cave. “And I’ll never see them again.”

Clutching Lance to his chest, Keith let him cry. He knew what it felt like to lose a loved one, but he would never be able to imagine the pain the mer had been going through for the last few thousand years. 

Pressing his mouth to the crown of Lance’s head, Keith decided he would give him as much time as he needed, whether it took an hour, a day, or a month, he’d be here for him. No matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If Someone is reading this (you'll know who you are), thank you. Your comment literally made my entire day and yes, I was not exaggerating when I said you made me cry. I write for people like you, so that maybe I can bring a little bit of light to a storm, to have an impact, no matter how small. You showed me that despite what my mind may be telling me, I can have an impact, and I want to thank you so much for that.
> 
> Anygay. End notes. What the quiznak do you put in them besides the usual links and plz comment? I mean in trwmtbb I put fic recs. I should start doing that with everything. New plan. Fic recs for EVERYTHING. bc my list is huge and everyone deserves love. Starting now.
> 
> Okay so,, at the top of my list, we currently have what's eloquently scrawled as 'Kate dating game space thingamabob'. By this, I mean the amazing fic [blink back to let me know](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19137865/chapters/45483061) by the amazing Kate/slowklancing. This is a shortish (4 chapters) Klance fic based off a choose your own adventure game she played. There is a warning for graphic depictions of violence, so be careful about that. It's an amazing read that I read as soon as it came out, you should go read it. If you like it, Kate has [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/notanannoyingfangirl/pseuds/slowklancing) [Tumblr](https://notanannoyingfangirl.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/slowklancing). 
> 
> Also, my links again :D  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance)  
[Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/)  
[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/)
> 
> Leave a comment, and leave comments if you read Kate's fic too!!


	8. The Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No, I don’t know you very well, but I’m looking forward to getting to do so. Because Lance, yes, we just met, but I already know that you mean the world to me, and I’m not letting you go.”
> 
> One side of Lance’s mouth hitched up into a fond smile as he shook his head gently. “I’m not going to be able to convince you otherwise, am I?” 
> 
> “Nope.” Keith mirrored the action, gaze soft.
> 
> The two looked at each other until their smiles grew too big and dissolved into elated chuckles, and their eyes averted from each other.
> 
> \------
> 
> After learning about Lance's past, Keith vows that he's never, ever going to let him go through that sort of thing again. He'll do whatever it takes, no matter how hard, no matter the cost. As long as it means Lance is okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm supposed to be studying, but,,, I'm not. In my defence, I did write most of a practice essay. 
> 
> This chapter is another one of my favourites, but I think last one takes the cake. And possibly chapter 3, even though it was really short. This one's more dialogue, as per usual, bc I like dialogue.
> 
> Jo, you do not need to apologise for not beta'ing when I'm the one who hasn't written anything for you to beta. You are so much more than I could ever have hoped for in a beta, and ngl, I was reading a published book yesterday, and couldn't help but think 'maybe they should've got Jo to look at this before they published it'. Jo has [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BSforDays/pseuds/BSforDays) [Tumblr](https://bsfordays.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bs_fordays)
> 
> Coincidentally (or not) I also have [Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance), [Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/), and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/).
> 
> You can also leave comments to make my day 10x better :D

Lance’s sobs slowed to sniffles after half an hour, his tears falling less and less frequently. He’d been crying for the entire time.  _ Properly _ crying. Who knew the last time he’d had the chance to get it all out of his system.

“Are you feeling better?” Keith rubbed Lance’s back, voice gentle.

“A little.” Lance shifted, curling his fingers to grip the chest of Keith’s shirt. 

“Well,” Keith began, moving his hand from the back of Lance’s head to wipe away the last of the tears. “that’s better than nothing at least. I hope I helped.”

Lance leant into the touch, eyes fluttering closed. “You did. A lot. Thank you,” he murmured.

With no more tears to wipe away, Keith opened his palm, letting Lance rest his cheek against it, and tangled his fingertips in the fluffy wisps of hair around his ear.

He’d only known Lance for an hour or two, but he already knew he’d protect him with his life. If it came to it.

“Can I tell you why I didn’t want you to leave?” 

“Lance, you don’t have to. It’s fine.” 

“But I want to.” He opened his eyes again, looking at Keith, cheeks tearstained and hair fluffed up adorably from the saltwater. 

“Oh.” Keith blinked, slightly surprised. “Then… of course you can tell me.”

“There’s two reasons, actually.” Lance shifted again, pulling himself into more of a sitting position, but still curled flush against Keith. “The first… well, you know that no one makes it through the storm. I… you thought I killed them, and I guess I did, but I never meant to. I don’t want them to be trapped too, so I… so I try to guide them away, but the storm thinks I’m trying to escape, so it moves all the rocks and… and the ships follow me because of my mer’s allure, even when I don’t want them to. Then, they smash, and the crew drowns.” He sighed shakily, but kept it together. “Then you came. You came, and everything was different. You made  _ me _ feel something this time, which is the second reason. I didn’t want you to die too, so I- so I tried a different approach. I led you to the island, and you lived. You made it and you were alive and… and you’re the first being I’ve been able to talk to in three thousand years. I didn’t want to go because I was lonely. Then you came and sought me out, and as scared as I was, I was - I still am - craving to just… not be alone.” Lance shrugged, drawing another deep breath.

“The second reason was because you made me feel something I haven’t felt in thousands of years. You made me feel like… I struggle to put it to words, but I’ll try. You made me feel like I wasn’t  _ alone _ , and not just in the sense of being the only one here. Not alone more like… more like…” He struggled to find the right way to say it.

“Like there’s someone who’s always got your back, even when you’re too scared to ask,” Keith finished the sentence for him. “Like there’s someone there for you, without you having to say anything. There’s someone for you to cry on, for you to be supported by, to just… be with.”

The mer looked up at him in wonder. “Exactly. You feel like home. I thought I forgot what home felt like, but then you came, and you just… you feel like you’re my home. You  _ are  _ my home. Wait, how did you know?” 

“Because I feel it, too.”

Lance pulled away, frowning. “You feel it for yourself?” 

“No, idiot. I feel it for  _ you _ .”

“Oh.” Lance’s voice went very quiet. “Are- are you sure? For me? It’s not just the allure?”

“Lance, if it was the allure, I would be dead. You know that. I know you do. The moment I set eyes on you… well, the second moment, actually. Pidge had to slap me to free me from the allure. From that moment, you just felt  _ right _ . You felt like home, you made feel like everything will be okay. You still do. Every time I look at you, I get the same feeling. That was why I came searching for you. To feel it again. I never knew what I was missing until I’d found it, and that thing is you. That’s why I’m getting you out of here. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to have to find you again.”

“Keith…” This time it was Lance’s hands on Keith’s face, cupping his cheeks gently, one thumb rubbing up and down slowly. “I don’t want to lose you either. You’re the only thing that has made my life since the storm took me worth living, and I only met you a few hours ago. But if you try to get me through the waters, I don’t… I don’t think you’ll make it. I don’t think we’ll make it. I don’t want you to risk your life for me, Keith. I’m not worth that much.”

Lifting an arm to rest his hands on Lance’s wrist, Keith looked the mer in the eyes. “I would rather die than leave you trapped here, alone, for the rest of eternity, Lance. I’m getting you out no matter what it takes.” 

“You barely even know me! How can you feel like that?” Lance protested.

“No, I don’t know you very well, but I’m looking forward to getting to do so. Because Lance, yes, we just met, but I already know that you mean the world to me, and I’m not letting you go.”

One side of Lance’s mouth hitched up into a fond smile as he shook his head gently. “I’m not going to be able to convince you otherwise, am I?” 

“Nope.” Keith mirrored the action, gaze soft.

The two looked at each other until their smiles grew too big and dissolved into elated chuckles, and their eyes averted from each other.

It was during one of these eye-aversions that Keith’s landed on Lance’s tail once more. It was still filling the room with its blue light, and was still just as stunning.

“Lance,” Keith breathed, still looking at the water.

“Hm?” 

“You… you’re beautiful. Absolutely, utterly, completely  _ beautiful _ .” 

“You really think so?” Keith could hear the blush in his voice, even if it seemed mer didn’t blush. It made Keith want to just… wrap his arms around Lance and never let go. Instead, he settled for looping an arm around Lance’s waist, as he was still propped up against Keith’s side, since mer weren’t really made for proper siting. 

“If anyone ever thought otherwise then they would be wrong. It’s not my opinion, Lance, it’s a fact. You are the most gorgeous being I’ve ever seen, and I have Allura on my crew.”

“Heh. I don’t know what that means, but I appreciate the compliment.” Lance flicked his tailfin idly, making a ring of ripples that grew and grew and grew, just like Keith’s heart. 

“Wait!” Lance fell still under Keith’s arm, and he frowned, looking at the mer.

His eyes were drawn straight back to the water after hardly a moment, and he knew Lance heard the gasp that escaped from him, because the almost-giggle that followed set fireworks off deep inside him.

The beads of bioluminescence in Lance’s fins were flashing in such a way they looked like falling stars, or even  _ rising _ stars, in some cases. As if that wasn’t enough, his scales were shimmering as well, making the light dance across the ceiling and the walls.

Still utterly astounded, Keith turned his head, lost for words. Lance’s eyes were scrunched up in the biggest smile Keith had ever seen, and the wavering glow reflected off his features in such a way it made him look even more perfect than he was already. 

“Do… do you like it?” Lance asked eagerly, like a child giving a gift and waiting for it to be unwrapped.

“No, Lance, I love it.” An alternate ending to the sentence drifted into Keith’s mind, putting down roots and staying firm. An alternate ending that surprised even Keith. One he was just… going to keep to himself for now. While it may be true, it was a little too soon in his opinion. 

“Thank you.” Lance dimmed the light show, taking it back to what must be its normal resting look, and leant his head on Keith’s shoulder, looking out across the water with him.

“You don’t have to thank me for a compliment.”

“I know, it was more… more a thank you for everything. For not leaving when I asked you to stay, for letting me cry, for making me feel this feeling. Thank you for being stupid and reckless enough to try get through the storm, thank you for trusting me to guide you through. Thank you for coming to look for me. Just… thank you.” 

On an impulse (because Keith was nothing if not impulsive), he took one of Lance’s hands in his own, intertwining their fingers together. On another impulse, he brought the clasped hands to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss to the bronze skinned knuckles.

“You’re welcome, I suppose. Thank  _ you _ for making sure we got through the storm safely, thank  _ you _ for asking me to stay, thank  _ you _ for trusting me enough to cry as hard as you did. Thank you for spending time with me, thank you for letting me see you. And thank you for letting me feel the same to you as you do to me.” 

They sat together for a while longer, heartbeats echoing in their chests, fingers a wonderful little knot in Keith’s lap. They sat until Keith could no longer stifle his yawns, mouth gaping unwantedly. 

It was to be expected, though. He’d spent the entire night swimming and talking; there wasn’t much room for sleep with all that. 

“You’re tired.” Lance deduced, hair tickling Keith’s neck as he turned his head. 

“Yeah. I didn’t sleep at all.” Keith rubbed his eye in an effort to get it to stop trying to close.

“I’ll take you back to shore so you can sleep there. With your friends.” Lance was hesitant to unwind their fingers, but in order to lower himself back into the water, he had to. 

“Thank you, Lance. Where are we anyway?” All Keith knew was that it was a cave. The location was a mystery to him.

“Oh, this is just the cavern I woke up in after the storm took me. It’s under the hill in the middle of the island. If you could call it a hill, it just looks like a slight incline, really.”

“ _ Treasure more than all Kings’ cowls, lies in wait within its bowels, _ ” Keith whispered to himself.

“What?

“Nothing, nothing. So could you say… could you say that this is the ‘bowels’ of the island?” He asked, trying to mentally piece together a puzzle he didn’t realise he had the pieces to.

“Uhh…” Lance frowned. “I mean, I guess? It is the inside of the island so that does make some sort of sense. Why?”

“No reason.” He wasn’t done with the puzzle yet. Well, he was, but he wasn’t entirely sure. He’d sleep on it, then decide when he woke up. Even though he already knew his answer would be the same.

“Oh, uh, okay then. Well, d’you wanna hop back on so I can get you back to shore?”

Keith nodded, trying and failing to suppress another yawn. 

“C’mon, sleepy head.” Lance teased gently, holding his arms out behind him.

Even here, so far from the sun, the water was still impossibly warm, making Keith’s almost dry shirt stick to his body once again. Arms over Lance’s broad shoulders once more, Keith took a breath, and together they dove. 

Despite Keith not needing a breath just yet, Lance resurfaced almost as soon as they were back in the open ocean. The moon had almost sunk beneath the horizon, and the first rays of the sun were staining the sky fiery orange, the light reflecting off the water. 

Still above water, Lance started to swim back to the shore where Keith and his crew had made camp. It wasn’t far, just around the cliff face for perhaps a minute or two, but maybe Keith had wanted it to last just a little bit longer.  
Lance swam as far up to the beach as he could manage without getting beached, shimmying into water that only came halfway up Keith’s calf. 

“Here you go. I got as close as I could.” Lance smiled as Keith stepped off his back and into the lapping waves. “Now go get some sleep, mkay? I’m not going anywhere far.”

“I know…” Keith yawned again. God, now he was aware of it, he really was exhausted. “You’ll be here when I wake up, right? You’re not gonna leave?”

“I’m not gonna leave. I’ll stick around the cliff, but I won’t leave you, don’t worry.” Lance propped his head up on his arm, digging an elbow into the soft sand. 

“Thank you.” Keith chrouched in the water, kneeling in front of Lance to give him one last hug. 

“It’s no problem. Now, really, sleep before you do so here, and drown.”

“I’m going, I’m going.” Keith smiled, letting go of the mer and going to stand.

“Oh, one last thing.” 

“Hm?”

Lance pushed his body up, surging forwards and pecking Keith quickly on the nose. “I’ll see you when you wake up.”

Before Keith could do anything, Lance was turning in the shallows, making his way back to deeper waters.

With a weary sigh, Keith picked himself from the water and trudged back up the beach to the camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time, I'm rec'ing [A Thousand Notes in the Making](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18304454/chapters/43324868) by Luna White/ImaginationCubed. This is an absolutely phenomenal fic with professional musician Keith and rookie Lance. It's rated mature, with tags for recreational drug usage and references to addiction. Nonetheless, it's still amazing, and it doesn't sugar coat anything. It's honest, and sweet, and there is angst but there's also soft bits. It's the perfect ballance, and one of my favourite fics to read, every time it updates I drop everything to go read it.
> 
> You can find Luna on [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaginationCubed/pseuds/ImaginationCubed) [Tumblr](https://imaginationcubed.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ImaginationCubd). 
> 
> Once again, I can also be found on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance), [Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/), and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/)
> 
> Leave a comment if you liked this! And comment is you read A Thousand Notes in the Making!!


	9. The Treasure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Fine. But if he’s not up in another hour, he’s getting dropped off the side of the rowboat.” 
> 
> “Pidge! That’s more than a little harsh, don’t you think? Be kind, he’s our captain.”
> 
> Pidge huffed, giving in to Allura’s words. “Okay, geez, I’ll just drop a bucketful of water on his face. No more compromise.”
> 
> Blinking a few stray grains of soft sand that had moved in the night (or rather morning) from his eye, Keith sat, shaking his hair out, too. 
> 
> “You don’t need to drench me.” His voice was raspy from talking all night and only just having woken up, words ever so slightly slurring together as the last vestiges of his mind reluctantly came back to the here and now. “I’m up.”
> 
> \------
> 
> Acrux is known for its treasure. The so-called wealth worth more than anything else, that's hidden deep inside the island. The reason Keith came in the first place. But as the riddle warns, the treasure is not what most think treasure to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this is so close to being over. I've spent months on this, and I just finished the last chapter. There will be a bit of an epilogue, but I can't tell you when or how long that will be because I don't know when I'll get time to do it. 
> 
> This is a sweet chapter before the finale, a lot of talking, as ever. I'm happy to say I should be able to get chapter 10 out on time as well. I've had a few panic attacks over the past few days bc of everything happening in my life so far, but I've sorted it out and got it under control now. Finishing this takes a huge weight off my shoulders, and while I'm a little sad to see it go, it clears the way for more.
> 
> Eternal thanks go to Jo. You don't just provide a priceless beta'ing service, you're an amazing friend/mum as well. Thank you for talking me through my own head when it all became a little too much, thank you for offering advice, thank you for being there for me. And good luck for thursday, I'm so excited for you. Find her on [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BSforDays/pseuds/BSforDays), [Tumblr](https://bsfordays.tumblr.com/), and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bs_fordays).
> 
> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance), [Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/), and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/) as well.
> 
> Thank you to all who've left comments so far, you have made my day/s so much better.

“Allura, c’mon, he’s been asleep all morning. I thought we were here to look for treasure, not nap constantly,” a voice pierced Keith’s slumber, slowly bringing him back from the blissful unconsciousness of sleep.

“Pidge, I know. But there’s no threat here, nor are we in any rush. You know Keith, you know how far he pushes himself. If he’s managing to sleep this much, we should let him. Goodness knows it’s good for him. Especially after yesterday.” 

Yesterday. What had happened yesterday? Ah, yes. The storm, a big one. Bigger than normal. 

The island. Acrux. 

_ Acrux _ . They were here, and they were alive. A feat no one else had ever achieved.

And then… Lance. The not-spirit. The one who had made sure they made it in one piece. The one who made Keith feel like  _ that _ . The one who he’d spent hours talking with the night before.

Lance.

The mer.

The  _ treasure _ . 

It all made sense, he’d known it since the cave. He’d known, but he’d been hesitant to accept it. Now, well, it had made itself at home in his mind and heart, and he doubted he could get it to vacate the premises even if he wanted to.

“Fine. But if he’s not up in another hour, he’s getting dropped off the side of the rowboat.” 

“Pidge! That’s more than a little harsh, don’t you think? Be kind, he’s our captain.”

Pidge huffed, giving in to Allura’s words. “Okay, geez, I’ll just drop a bucketful of water on his face. No more compromise.”

Blinking a few stray grains of soft sand that had moved in the night (or rather morning) from his eye, Keith sat, shaking his hair out, too. 

“You don’t need to drench me.” His voice was raspy from talking all night and only just having woken up, words ever so slightly slurring together as the last vestiges of his mind reluctantly came back to the here and now. “I’m up.”

“I’m so sorry we woke you, Keith. I wanted you to get as much sleep as you could, after everything yesterday. You must have been exhausted.” Allura crouched to be level with him, brushing his shirt cleaner in an almost motherly way. 

“Well,  _ I’m _ not. We’re here for treasure, and so far, I see no treasure.” Pidge crossed their arms, raising a brow.

“Where’re the other two?” Keith ignored them.

“Hunk’s making lunch and Romelle’s scouting down the beach.” Allura stood, offering a hand to help Keith up, which he took gratefully.

“Lunch?” Was it really that late? That meant Keith must have slept through the entire first half of the day. He wondered how long ago the rest of his crew woke, and if they suspected anything about his nightly endeavour. 

“Yes, you slept a great deal. Though we did arrive at nightfall, so we all overslept somewhat, reluctant to admit it as some may be.” Allura shot a pointed look at Pidge, who refused to meet her gaze. 

Hunk waved from the fire as the trio approached, while Romelle already seated on a large rock that someone had dragged over - if the gouge in the sand behind it was any indication.

“Just in time! Lunch is served.” Handing them each a bowl, Hunk took his own and sat down, devouring the meat hungrily. 

“Sho, Keef,” Pidge began, their words almost unintelligible as they attempted to speak around a mouthful of food. “Thish treshur?” They swallowed, thankfully. “What do you know? You are, after all, our resident Acrux expert. I swear, no one could even hope of knowing more than you do.”

“Uh, thanks?” Keith wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, setting his food down in his lap. “And about the treasure, I was meaning to tell you guys. I, uh, I found it.”

“What?!” Pidge wasn’t the only one who was surprised, but they were the only one who shot to their feet. “When? You’ve been asleep the  _ entire _ time we’ve been here!”

“Actually… I wasn’t.”

Pidge went to talk again, but Keith put up a hand, motioning for them to wait.

“Just let me explain.

“When we were coming in, through the storm, when the spirit came, I… I felt something.”

“No shit, it’s called an allure, idiot. We all felt it.” Pidge rolled their eyes, crossing their arms, food forgotten.  
“No- I mean yes. I felt the allure, but then you slapped me, and… and I looked back, and I felt something different. It was like the allure, but it was different. More real.

“Anyway, we got to shore, and you guys all fell asleep. I tried, but I just couldn’t. I was still thinking about the spirit, and the feeling it made me feel. So I tried to find it again. Don’t tell me it was a stupid move, going off and swimming in the middle of the night, because I already know it was. But I did it anyway.”

“Did you find the spirit?” Romelle asked, clearly intrigued by Keith’s story. 

“Well… yes. And no.”

“How does that work?” Hunk joined the conversation. “Did you like, find half of it? A third?”

“No, no, definitely not like that. It turns out… the spirit isn’t actually a spirit. He’s a mer.”

“A what?” Allura stared at him blankly.

“A mer. He’s half man, half fish. More or less. Like the legends, not the Acrux ones, but the other ones,” Keith explained

“And how exactly do you know this?”

“I… met him. I found him last night, when I was swimming. I felt the same feeling.”

“This is a nice little story and all that,” Pidge cut in, crossing their legs while perched on their rock. “but may I ask how exactly does this relate to the treasure?”

“Just wait,” Keith insisted, “I’m getting there. So, anyways, I found him, and he was pretty spooked.”

“Him?” This time it was Romelle interrupting. 

“Yeah, him. His name’s Lance. That’s beside the point. Anyway, I found him, he was spooked, kept telling me to go away, but I didn’t want to. I confronted him about the whole ‘leading people to their deaths’ thing, and he… he said he never meant to kill anyone, and I believe him. He’s not the malicious creature the stories make him out to be. He asked me to leave again, and he was getting pretty desperate at that point, so I did. But then… he asked me to stay. 

“Yeah, I was confused too, I know, but we spent most of the night talking. He took me to this cave type place, and we chatted there, so I didn’t have to keep myself afloat. He brought me back as the sun was rising, because I was literally about to fall asleep on his back.” Keith smiled fondly as he relieved the night, hoping no one would notice the faint blush forming on his cheeks. 

The girls, however, exchanged a glance that seemed to act as an entire conversation, Allura turning back to Keith with a knowing smile on her face.

“So, tell me more about this Lance boy,” She inquired, putting her chin in her palms.

“Oh, uh, he’s… he’s amazing. He’s funny, and kind, he actually listens and cares. He’s trusting, he trusts me enough to tell me things that hurt him. He… I think he’s really smart, but in a three thousand year old mer way, and he’s brave and strong as well. Like, strong personality, but he’s also really strong physically as well.”

“I was meaning about what he looked like, but you can continue if you want to,” Allura cut in gently.

“Right.” Keith tried not to blush. “Well, he’s tanned. The parts of him that aren’t covered in scales, that is. He’s got a really long tail, like, really long, and it’s as blue as… as the ocean in the tropics, and he can make it glow. All his fins are like sheets in the wind, huge and billowing and they have little twinkling bits in them, like stars. He’s got brown hair, really fluffy and curly when it’s dry, and really smooth when it’s wet. He’s got like, solid blue eyes, but they’re still captivating. And his smile… he’s got a really nice smile too.” It took Keith a long moment to realise everyone was staring at him.

“Who are you and what did you do with our captain?” Pidge accused.

“What?”

“You can’t be Keith. Keith never smiles. Not like  _ that _ anyway.” 

“Pidge, leave him alone,” Allura chastised, batting her crewmate’s knee. 

Clearing his throat, Keith tried to school his face into a neutral expression, but ultimately failed, letting the smile sit comfortably alongside the memories of the mer.

“But about the treasure,” he swapped the topic quickly, focusing on what he knew he knew, not what he tried to deny he knew. 

“I was thinking… last night in the cave. Lance said it was a cave under the center of the island. We already know the first two lines of the riddle; an island drifted from afar, lands beyond the southern star,” Keith recited. “Acrux is the island. It’s both the southmost landmass and it’s apparently ‘drifted’ from somewhere else. We also know the last two lines: ‘but if those unworthy, brave, they shall find naught but their grave’. If someone who isn’t worthy of the treasure tries to get to Acrux, they’ll be killed. We also kinda know the third-to-last line: ‘as storm dark’d light reveals its glow’. I thought it was just meaning the spirit, how it glows in the darkness of the storm, but now I don’t think so.

“Lance said something when he was telling me about the cave. Something that made me rethink the entire riddle. He told me that the storm had cursed him so he can’t leave the waters of the island, and that it stole him from his family over three thousand years ago.”

“That’s  _ horrible _ ,” Hunk gasped, clapping a hand over his mouth.

“I know,” Keith agreed grimly. “But he said the cave was where he woke up after the storm took him. He also said, once I asked, that he supposed it could be referred to as the bowels of the island. So that’s the second two lines of the riddle. ‘Treasure more than all Kings’ cowls, lies in wait within its bowels’. Lance awoke in the bowels of the island. That’s his home. He’s the treasure, the last of his species. It also changes the meaning of the next two lines: ‘yet this not wealth as mortals know, as storm-dark’d light reveals its glow’. He’s not a wealth like gold or jewels - he’s a person, he’s a mer, he’s… he’s  _ Lance _ .” Another thought was brewing in Keith’s mind, about what else Lance may be. What else, regarding another myth that most took as fiction, or at the very least, something that was only a thing thousands of years ago. Something regarding love, and fate.

“The storm dark’d light bit isn’t talking about the spirit, it’s talking about the treasure. about  _ Lance _ . He can glow, and he glows in the storm, when he tries to lead the ships away. So yeah, Lance is the treasure. I found it.”

He tried to hide the melancholy in his voice, the fractured hope. Because although Lance was more than he could ever have imagined in his wildest dreams, he would not make Keith rich. Well, he probably would if Keith was as heartless to sell him, but that would never be an option. 

Keith knew it was false hope, he’d known from the start. Being rich didn’t make people’s lives magically better. It didn’t work like that. He knew being rich wouldn’t mean Shiro came back, or his mother. He knew it wouldn’t make it happy, but he’d pretended it would.

“It  _ does _ make a lot of sense,” Allura pointed out. “Enough that I believe you. I would rather like to meet this Lance though, he sounds very intriguing.”

At that, Keith started somewhat. He didn’t know why, but he’d liked keeping Lance for himself. He was something only Keith knew about, someone only Keith would spend time with. He was Keith’s and Keith was his. He realised how ridiculous this was, because he’d promised he’d get Lance out no matter what, and that meant introducing him to the rest of the crew at some point. 

“Oh, uh. Yeah, sure. You can meet him. Come with me.” Keith stood, gesturing for the others to follow, as surprised as they were. 

He led them to the edge of the beach, near the cliff where Lance said he’d wait, and told them to wait. The rocks jutting from the water looked frequent enough for him to climb over. He’d just have to watch out for anything sharp, since his boots were back at the camp.

As soon as he judged he was out of earshot, he started to call for the mer, voice bouncing off the rockface and returning to him a moment after it had left his mouth. 

“Lance! Lance?” After the fifth name yell with no reply, Keith moved further down. He’d trusted Lance not to leave, but was he wrong to? Lance didn’t seem like he’d be one to abandon Keith after everything that had happened that night, but it was still possible. What if he never saw him again? He knew his way around the island better than Keith ever would. He’d be able to evade him no matter how hard he looked. Keith didn’t want that to happen. He didn’t want to lose another person.

He was so caught up in the whirlwind beginning to tear his mind apart that Keith failed to see where he was stepping. So when his foot unexpectedly landed on something warm and slightly squishy but also very solid, he very rightly yelped and lurched backwards.  
“Holy Quiznak!” Lance let out a stream of mer curses as he rubbed the spot on his tail Keith had stepped on. “Y’know you could’ve just poked me or something.” 

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Keith rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I can tell.” Obviously having just woken up from a daytime snooze, Lance stretched his arms up above his head, exposing his tanned torso to Keith. 

Keith discovered that Lance’s tanned torso did not do anything good for him. Or his heart. Nothing good at all. 

He wasn’t going to wax poetic about it - though he could, very easily - because then they’d be there for the rest of the day, but it did take him a solid few seconds to stop staring. 

In his defense, Lance’s body was that of a statue carved from marble, though perhaps even that wouldn’t do it justice. After so many thousands of years of swimming, he could clearly see the effects. His shoulders were broad, muscles perfectly defined, all highlighted by shimmering scales and a dusting of freckles.

And plus, he had bedhead (or rock head? Since he’d been sleeping on a rock?) and it was all fluffy and curled, sticking up in uneven tufts. Keith had an undeniable urge to run his fingers through it and try to tame it into something reasonable.

“Keith?”

“Hm?” Keith jerked his head up to Look Lance in his eyes. 

“You didn’t hear me, did you?” One corner of the mer’s mouth hitched up into a lopsided grin, laced with a fondness he was unable to hide. 

“No,” Keith admitted sheepishly. He’d been too busy staring.

“It’s okay,” Lance laughed, slipping back into the water and sighing contentedly. “I was only asking why you were looking for me.” He ran a now wet hand through his hair, droplets catching and shining in the sunlight like diamonds.

“Oh, uh, the crew wants to meet you.” Keith shrugged, twisting his hands together, for lack of anything else to do with them.

“They do? They know about me?” Lance braced both hands against the side of the rock Keith was standing on, stretching his tail out behind him and groaning as a joint or two popped. 

“Yeah, I told them. When I woke up.” Keith sat, his toes barely skimming the water.

“Huh. Only good things, I presume?” Lance shot him a dopey grin, eyes lidded. 

“Naturally, naturally.” Keith tried to match his tone - light and joking - but he fell a little short. Still, he continued. “I certainly didn’t tell them about how much you swore, or how you almost drowned me, or how you basically kidnapped me to your evil base.” Now he was getting the hang of it. 

“Hey!” Lance threw a handful of water up at Keith, which he attempted to dodge, to no avail. “I did not kidnap you! You came willingly! And plus, it’s not a  _ base _ . How lame is that? It’s a  _ lair _ , obviously.”

“Lair, sorry, your most terrifyingness. I deeply apologize.” Keith bowed dramatically.

“But like seriously, what did you say? I’m curious.” Lance pulled gently at one of Keith’s toes, seemingly examining it. 

“Just… that you’re what everyone calls the spirit, but you’re a mer, and that we talked a lot last night. I didn’t say about what, though. I told them your name, too, and that you’ve been here three thousand years. But that’s about it.” Ignoring the part about the treasure, and, of course, the rambling about how amazing he was. Lance didn’t need to know about that second bit.

“Huh, nice. I assume they were surprised?” Lance was still staring at Keith’s toes, though now his head was on such an angle the end of his hair was dragging in the water. 

“You assume correctly. They were eager to meet you, so I said I’d come find you. They’re just on the beach by the cliffs.” Keith gestured widely, smiling down at the curious mer. “Have you ever seen feet before?”

This time it was Lance’s turn to blush self-consciously. “No. Sorry.” He dropped his hands into the water.

“It’s okay,” Keith chuckled, reaching down to ruffle Lance’s slightly damp hair. “I’d be pretty curious, too. But why don’t we get back to the crew? If I stay any longer, they’ll send a search party, and I’ll get a lecture from Allura again.” Keith stood, the rock cooler under his feet where he’d been seated. 

The two made their way to the beach, Keith picking his way back over the rocks, Lance in the water, waiting whenever he overtook Keith. 

Keith’s four crewmates were still on the shore, standing around where Keith had left them.

“Guys!” He waved them over, Lance beside him, as far up the shore as he could be. “This is Lance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a slight change of pace, this time it's an adashi fic I'm rec'ing. 
> 
> [Adam and his Grief](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20908481), by Orla/Adadshi, is such a well written oneshot, I think I read it three times in one sitting. Warning however, it is tagged major character death, as it deals with how Adam copes after the news of the Kerberos mission. Aside from that, it will make you cry. It did to me. I honestly can't sing this one's praises enough, though it is heartbreaking it is well worth the read. 
> 
> Orla has [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/adadshi/pseuds/adadshi), [Tumblr](https://adadshi.tumblr.com/), and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/adadshi). 
> 
> I also have [Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance), [Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/), and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/).
> 
> Comment if you enjoyed, and that doesn't go for just this fic!


	10. The Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lightning sparked, louder than anything Keith had ever heard, leaving stars in his eyes and ringing in his ears. Lance was right; the storm really didn’t want him to leave.
> 
> Every moment was a constant battle of strength between the wheel and Keith. A constant battle that was not in Keith’s favour. He could barely hold on; the wood slippery from the rain and spinning out of control. 
> 
> But he didn’t give up. He _wouldn’t_ give up.
> 
> \------
> 
> Keith made a promise, one he intends to keep, no matter how difficult. He's getting Lance out, or he'll die trying, and no one can stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is late, I know, but life just tends to happen.
> 
> Phew. The finale chapter. I... don't really know what to say. Writing this fic, sharing it with everyone, it's been equal parts amazing and so, so stressful. But I've loved almost every minute of it. I've loved seeing your reactions, leaving you on cliffhangers, reading the comments when they appear in my inbox. So thank you. Thank you for giving my (not so) little fic a few minutes out of your days, thank you for reading, thank you for everything.
> 
> As I mentioned briefly in the notes last chapter, there will be an epilogue (hopefully). There's a few things I want to address that I haven't been able to, and I'm not quite sure I want to leave this world just yet. So far it consists of the heading of 'epilogue' on my doc, and some unconnected ideas in my mind, so while it won't be out all too soon, I hope I get to share it.
> 
> Jo. What would I do without you. You beta for me at midnight, listen to my rants and endless apologies. <s>Speaking of endless apologies, I really am sorry for nagging.</s> Thank you for being one of the best beta's out there, one of the best friends, best confidants. And for telling me to just stop using commas already that's like fifty too many and you've only written a sentence. I love you. 
> 
> Jo has [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BSforDays/pseuds/BSforDays), [Tumblr](https://bsfordays.tumblr.com/), and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bs_fordays)
> 
> I also have [Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance), [Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/), and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/).
> 
> I can't wait to hear what you guys think of this chapter, so leave a comment or two to fill my heart :D

“How do we know this is going to work?” Pidge watched as the rest of the crew readied the ship, unashamedly lounging against the mainmast, contributing absolutely nothing.

“We don’t,” Keith grunted, eyes boring a hole in the air in front of him as he pushed a barrel of who-knew-what.

“Then why are we doing this?” 

“Because it’s our best chance at getting him out.” Keith’s answer was snappy and to the point.

“Why do we even need to get him out?” Pidge started fiddling with a dagger, infuriating Keith.

“I’m not leaving him here, Pidge.” 

“Well, it’s not like he’s worth anything. And  _ something _ obviously doesn’t want him to leave. We’re risking our lives, Keith, and for what? A random mer you befriended?” 

“He’s not a random mer!” Keith yelled, practically throwing himself at Pidge. “He’s  _ not _ worthless, he’s  _ not _ just a creature. You hear me? He’s Lance, he’s… he’s  _ Lance _ ,” Keith insisted, towering over his crewmate. “We’re getting him out. Even if I die doing so, I am getting. Him.  _ Out _ .” Keith stabbed a finger into their chest with each word, making his point as clear as physically possible.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” They didn’t sound it, as they slunk away, huddling down in a corner, back to the rest of the crew.

“Let me talk to them.” Allura broke away from the heap of ropes she’d been dealing with, resting a hand on Keith’s shoulder as she passed. “You go help Hunk and Romelle.”

As Allura sat next to Pidge, Keith turned, to see Hunk hoisting the rowboat from the water, presumably with Romelle and Lance in it.

“Before you ask-” Hunk brought the rowboat to a momentary stop, “-why we’re doing this now and not when we’re actually ready, Lance said he didn’t want to be alone. Not my fault.” 

“I wasn’t going to. Do you need a hand?”

“That would actually be great, thanks.” 

Keith took up position opposite from Hunk, pulling just the right amount on the ropes so that the little boat didn’t plummet. 

“Have we stopped for a reason?” Romelle called up from below them.

“No!” Hunk called. “Just taking a breather!”

Together they hauled the now much heavier dinghy back to deck level, revealing the blue mass now curled within.

“Hi!” Lance’s grin was almost wider than his face.

“Hey.” Keith smiled back, expression a lot softer. 

After Romelle hopped delicately from the rowboat to the deck, Lance braced his arms on the railing, pulling himself up.

“Here, let me help.” Keith rushed forwards as Hunk secured the ropes, but Lance just batted his hand away.

“I’m gonna do it myself. Just bear with.” 

And somehow, he did. It only took a few minutes, a handful of muttered mer curses, and some incredible upper body strength, but sure enough, a tangle of tail fell to the deck with a triumphant whoop. 

Keith had seen Lance underwater, he’d seen how graceful he could be. However, right now?  _ Graceful _ was about as far as you could get as Lance flopped about the deck like a half dead fish.

Re-emerging from beneath his own tail, Keith could see just how widely he was smiling. It showcased Lance’s sharpened teeth, the grin stretching as far as physically possible, blinding Keith.

“Only one problem,” Keith pointed out. “How are you going to move?” 

Lance opened his mouth, closed it, thought for a moment, opened it again, the beginnings of a word making a strangled noise in his throat before rethinking and closing his mouth with a dejected “No.” 

“Here. Hop on.” Keith crouched with his back to Lance, holding his arms out behind him in a way not at all dissimilar to the way the mer had the previous night. 

“Are you sure?” Keith felt one of Lance’s hands rest gently in his own.

“Yeah. Hop on. We don’t have all day.”

Lance’s hand left Keith’s, joining the other in bracing on his shoulder. He pulled his body up until he was lying on Keith’s back, arms looped around his neck.

“Are you sure you’re gonna be able to lift me?” With Lance’s chin hooked over his shoulder, Keith found that their faces were very, very close together.

“Mhm.” Keith tried to find some purchase on Lance’s tail that he could support, but it was difficult. The mer shifted, trying to help.

“Are you  _ sure _ you’re sure?”

“I said yes, see?” Keith stood, attempting to illustrate his point. He stood, and almost fell backwards again.

“Fuck, you’re heavier than you look.” He stumbled, desperate for some stable footing.

“I did warn you.” Lance wasn’t apologetic in the slightest.

“You did, you did.” Keith admitted defeat, hoiking Lance further up his back. “Is your tail gonna be okay dragging behind you?” 

“Um… could I…?” Lance wrapped his tail around Keith’s legs, successfully getting most of it off the wooden deck.

“I mean you could,” Keith grinned, “but I can’t really walk now.”

“Right. I forgot.” Keith could feel Lance swallow as he unwrapped his tail.

“It’s okay. There was no reason for you to remember in the first place. Hey, Hunk?” Keith turned his attention to his crewmate. “Mind giving us a hand?”

“Coming!” Hunk jogged over, scooping up Lance’s tail on the way. “Wow, Lance. This is  _ beautiful _ .”

“Thanks!” The mer grinned, flicking a fin to show it off. “And Keith?” He lowered his voice so only the captain could hear it. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For caring about me.” Lance turned his head to peck Keith’s cheek. “Enough that you’re all risking your lives for me. Enough that you refuse to leave me alone for another few thousand years. Enough that I care about you, too.”

“Lance…” Keith began, voice soft. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything.” Lance shrugged, nestling his head in the crook of Keith’s neck. “Where’re we going, anyway?”

“Mainmast. It’s the centre of the ship, so hopefully you won’t need to move about much, and you’ll be safer in the storm,” Keith explained as he knelt.

“Keith,” Lance cupped the captain’s cheek as he was placed on the deck. “are you sure about this?”

“For the last time, yes, I’m sure.” Keith covered the taloned hand with his own. “I know the risks, but I would rather die trying to get you out than have to live with you trapped here.” 

Lance’s features softened at that, eyes shining with what could only be affection. Pulling Keith’s face forwards, he pressed a soft, lingering kiss to the space between Keith’s eyebrows, effectively smoothing out the creases.

“Thank you,” Lance breathed, pulling away. One arm was supporting his entire upper body weight, the other still cupping Keith’s face. 

“Keith, may we talk to you?” Allura rested a hand lightly on his shoulder, Pidge almost hiding behind her. 

“Oh, uh, yeah. Yep. Sure.” Keith was certain he was blushing, and Lance’s not-very-well-hidden smirk as he dropped his hand and looped around the base of the mast pole all but confirmed his suspicions. 

The trio claimed their own, semi-private section of deck away from the others.

“So, Pidge, am I right in thinking you have something to say?” Allura prompted gently.

“Yes.” Pidge wouldn’t meet Keith’s eyes. “‘I’m sorry. I know… I know that Lance means a lot to you, and I’m sorry for what I said. I’m just… I’m  _ scared _ , Keith. We all are. Lance explained the dangers, and I’m scared. I want to make it out alive but… the chances seem slim. I know you care about him, and he cares about you, but sometimes I have to wonder, have you ever thought about us?”

The accusation made Keith suck in a breath.

“We have people we care about, too. Allura has her father, Romelle has a brother. Hunk, he has an entire family  _ and _ a girlfriend. My mother… she would  _ shatter _ if she ended up losing me, too. I’m just scared, Keith, and I didn’t know what else to do. So I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry as well, Pidge.” Keith looked at the wooden boards. “I snapped, and I didn’t think about anyone else. I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess.”

The two stood, mirroring each other, letting their apologies hang in the air between them until Pidge surged forwards as wrapped their arms around Keith’s torso. 

“You’re one of my best friends, Keith. I don’t want to lose you.” 

Blinking with surprise, Keith hesitantly returned the gesture, his arms encircling Pidge’s petite frame.

They were pointier than Lance, he noticed. Smaller of course, and pointier. But that didn’t mean they didn’t hug with just as much ferocity. 

“You’re one of my  _ only _ friends, Pidge. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Probably be long dead.” They shrugged as they stepped back, smirk already beginning to come out of hiding. “Just think how many times I’ve saved your ass. You wouldn’t last a second with me gone.”

“Probably not,” Keith chuckled. 

“Now that you two are on better terms,” Allura said warmly, “perhaps we should get going before we run into the risk of losing daylight.” 

“It’s mid-morning, Allura, don’t worry so much.” Pidge elbowed her lightly.

\----------°•.oOo.•°----------

It didn’t take long until the Red Lion was deemed ready to brave the storm once again.

Lance was still curled around the mainmast, head resting on his arms. He’d been snoozing for most of the morning, enjoying the last of the magical weather of Acrux. 

Keith watched from the wheel as Hunk gently shook him awake, the words they exchanged lost in the space between them. They seemed to get on well, Keith had noticed, despite how little time they’d known each other for. 

With the girls and Pidge working the sails, the Red Lion soon picked up speed, heading away from the island. Keith could see how Lance watched it go, and although he was a good way away, he could tell he was sad to leave. This place had been his home for the last three thousand years, and in all likelihood, he’d never be able to return. Anyone would be sad.

In front of them, the water was clear. Any waves were just the calm swell of the currents, the sun glinting off their crests. It was perfect sailing weather.

Until it wasn’t.

In a space of time so short a mere blink would mean you’d missed it, the sky darkened, clouds appearing as if from nowhere. Rain pounded the boat, wind ripping through the sails.

It wasn’t long until the first wave crashed over the railings, sweeping away with it anything that wasn’t tied down. Hunk clung to the rigging, Romelle to Allura, who in turn clutched the railings and braced herself against the impact. Pidge was high above the water, but they clutched the ropes just as tightly.

Lance coiled himself impossibly lighter around the mainmast, bearing the most of the water. He’d started glowing again. Powerful enough to light the entire ship from the crow’s nest to the bow and back again.

Lightning sparked, louder than anything Keith had ever heard, leaving stars in his eyes and ringing in his ears. Lance was right; the storm really didn’t want him to leave.

Every moment was a constant battle of strength between the wheel and Keith. A constant battle that was  _ not _ in Keith’s favour. He could barely hold on; the wood slippery from the rain and spinning out of control. 

But he didn’t give up. He  _ wouldn’t  _ give up.

Thanks to Lance’s glow, any rocks protruding from the water were visible once they were in range, just far away enough for Keith to avoid them. Nonetheless, it was always too tight for anyone’s liking, and the Red Lion would come out of the storm with a new map of scars in her wood.

“Keith!” Despite the wind, despite the rain and the waves and the thunder and the distance, Lance’s voice was still as clear as the waters of Acrux. “You’re going the wrong way!” 

Keith had no way to tell if Lance was telling the truth. His sense of direction had been turned on its head and spun until, for all he knew, they could be heading in an entirely fictional direction.

Though Lance’s words weren’t entirely without reason. It was true that the wind seemed to be behind their sails, that the waves were pushing them forwards somewhat, and that the rocks were less in their way. 

And Keith trusted Lance. He trusted him to know, he trusted him enough to wrench the wheel and spin the ship around entirely. 

The wind was just as strong, whipping Keith’s loose hair around his neck painfully, snapping the sails and the rigging loud enough to be heard over the cacophony of the storm. 

Once again, Allura and Romelle were in a tight embrace, bodies all but fusing together in the blue light. While on the journey into the storm, Hunk had been constantly rushing to the railings to throw up over them. On the journey out, he was curled tightly to the rigging, a ball of shivering fear. Keith couldn’t see very clearly upwards, but he could tell from their stance that Pidge’s grip on the ropes was white knuckled, and their face blank, accepting their fate. 

Keith? He looked his fate dead in the eyes as he plunged his sword into its stomach. 

Everything was against him. The weather, the ocean, the rocks below. The universe, the curse, the thousands upon thousands of years of failures to prove him wrong. But Keith ignored that. He ignored it all.

The wheel was spinning madly, useless in the storm and out of his control. The boat had crashed into too many rocks to count, somehow still in one piece. On the deck, Lance was no longer curled around the mainmast like an anaconda around its prey. He was clinging to the grid that ventilated below deck, tail tightly curled so it didn’t lash in the wind.

A tear, almost glowing - Keith must have been too preoccupied to notice that in the cavern - streaked down the mer’s face before being pulled away into the storm.

That was it. Keith was  _ not _ letting Lance stay trapped. 

He grabbed the wheel, yelling as it fought against him. The ship lurched, throwing those on the deck against the railings. Lance scrabbled to pull himself back on board, the waves seeming to pull him down, down,  _ down _ to the water. It was only thanks to Romelle and Allura that he made it, only thanks to them that he was now curled up in the girls’ embrace in the corner under the stairs.

There was no doubt about it. The rocks were moving, blocking their way, forcing Keith to turn around time and time again. 

Another fork of lightning struck, so close Keith felt like he could reach out and touch it. It ripped through the sky like a knife, illuminating everything for a fraction of a second.

That was all the time Keith needed.

It was madness, he knew it was. A single inch in the wrong direction and they would never leave. But he had to try. 

There was no one telling him how ridiculous this plan was, no one screaming at him to stop, no one doing anything but wishing they’d had time to say their last goodbyes. 

No one warned him that there was a wall of rock ahead, but that was okay. Keith already knew. No one screamed as they approached, not even Keith. The others had their eyes screwed tight, while Keith trusted himself.

A sickening scraping sound informed Keith that he was going to need to get Red repaired at the next docks they came to, but also that he’d done it. 

Two twin towers of rock loomed menacingly on either side of the vessel, but that was just it. They were on either side, not piercing the hull. 

Gradually, faster than usual, but still gradually, the storm calmed. The waves shrunk to a regular height, the wind to a normal speed, the rain fell less like knives of ice, more like the drops of water it was. 

Allura was the first to open her eyes, looking up to the sky with astonishment, then over to Keith, who nodded once. He watched as she tilted Romelle’s head up from where it had been buried in her clothes, he watched as she, too, realised what they’d done. They embraced, smiles bright even as they shared a ‘we didn’t die’ kiss.

But Lance was still.

Pidge had unfurled themself, making their way down to the deck quickly, passing Hunk on the way. By the time their boots had hit the deck, the girls had noticed Lance’s lack of movement. Together they turned him over, so he was looking at the sky.

So he  _ should _ be looking at the sky. 

His eyes were closed, body unmoving. 

Keith’s hands were white around the wheel. He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t even breathe. 

The weather was apt, he thought. The sky was crying the tears he couldn’t find inside himself. 

“Hey.” Hunk’s voice was soft, breaking around the single syllable. “Keith…” He rested a hand on his captain’s shoulder, but Keith threw it off.

“No.  _ No _ . No, no,  _ no _ !” His voice shook as he ran down the stairs taking them two at a time, not caring how slick they were and how easily he could trip and fall. He didn’t care. 

“Keith, I’m-”

“Shut up!” He pushed Allura aside, taking Lance’s limp body in his arms and cradling it to his chest.

“Please,” he begged to whatever force would listen. “Please, I’ll do anything, I just want him back.” 

Nothing.

“Please!” He was almost screaming now, tears mingling with raindrops and leftover seaspray. “Please! I need him, I… I need him. I love him.” 

But still, nothing happened. Lance was gone. 

‘Keith, buddy…” Hunk knelt opposite him, gently taking Lance from his arms and placing him back on the deck. “There’s nothing we can do.” 

That hit Keith like a blade to his heart, twisting, twisting,  _ twisting _ until it shattered. He threw himself over Lance, refusing to part with him, refusing to let him go, refusing to accept the inevitable. 

“Why’s ev’ryone starin’ at me?” a familiar voice croaked, somewhat drunkenly.

“Lance?” Keith sat bolt upright

“Why were you lyin’ on me?” The mer’s eyes blinked open fully, unfocused.

Keith stared, mesmerised. 

Because he’d seen Lance’s eyes before, he knew what they looked like. Solid cyan, glowing, no pupil or iris. Not like this. Not the beautiful blues of the irises looking back up to him, not the pupils that widened in the dim light, not the long lashes that almost touched his cheek when he blinked.

“Keith? ‘R you okay?” Lance’s brow furrowed, his hand coming up to brush Keith’s cheek. His untaloned hand, with normal fingernails, bitten to the quick. 

“I… I’m…” Keith didn’t know what to say, so he opted for a different option. One that didn’t include any words.

Lance’s lips were softer than he’d expected them to be. Wet, of course, but softer. He’d lifted Lance’s torso from the floorboards, holding him as tightly as he dared, never wanting to let go. In turn, one of Lance’s hands found its way into Keith’s sodden hair, tangling itself into a perfect little knot.

Keith vaguely heard Pidge’s noise of disapproval and disgust before they were silenced by Allura, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care because Lance was back, because he was kissing Lance, because lance was kissing  _ him _ .

When they broke apart (prompting a muttered ‘finally’ from Pidge and another scolding from Allura) Keith didn’t let go of Lance. Sure, he loosened his grip a fraction, but he didn’t let go.

“What was that for? Not that I disliked it or anything.”

“Lance… you… we… we thought you were dead,” Keith mumbled into the crook of his neck.

“What?”

“You weren’t moving. Weren’t breathing, weren’t responding to anything. We thought you’d died, Lance. I thought I’d lost you.”

“Keith… I’m so sorry. So, so sorry. I can’t believe you had to go through that.” Lance hugged Keith tight. “Though it would explain why I feel different.”

“You  _ look _ different, too,” Keith told him.

“Really? How?” 

“Your eyes, they’re… blue. Normal blue. They’re normal now. And your freckles don’t glow, they’re normal too. So are your hands.”

“So what, am I all normal now?” Lance joked.

“Uh,” Keith glanced down. “No, not quite. You still have a tail, I don’t think that’s normal.” 

“Well, from what I can see, it’s a normal mer tail. God, the tail the island gave me was huge. It got in the way of everything and was ridiculously heavy,” Lance complained, happily flicking his tail fin. 

“You said you felt different?” Keith asked. “How so?”

“Well…” Lance thought for a moment. “At the island, everything felt like I was swimming in treacle. It was slow and languid, saccharine, unreal. Now it’s… it feels like life again. I feel like I’m living, not just alive. If that makes any sense.”

“It does, don’t worry,” Keith reassured him.

“So, I  _ hate _ to break this up, I  _ really _ do,” Pidge’s voice was all but dripping with sarcasm, “but we’re just drifting here, and I don’t know about you, but I’d really like to  _ not _ drift back into that storm.” 

“Sorry, Pidge. I’ll let your captain get back to his work.” Lance unwrapped his arms from around Keith, but Keith didn’t let go.

“Hunk’s just as good at steering. He can do it for now.”

“But-”

“Of course, buddy.” Hunk stepped in front of Pidge, effectively silencing them. “You deserve it, especially after everything that happened.” 

Aboard the Red Lion, with Hunk at the wheel, Pidge perched in the crow’s nest, the girls in the ropes, and Lance nestled between his knees, Keith couldn't imagine calling anywhere else home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things to say before the fic rec.
> 
> So yeah. That's it. That's my first completed multi-chapter fic. Wow. I hope this has brought you any degree of happiness at any point, I hope that it was good enough to keep your attention for more than a few sentences. And may I just say blame the sad song that came on for *that* part. I surprised even myself.
> 
> Now for your regularly scheduled fic rec.
> 
> Okay so [The House with the Red Front Door](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20487332/chapters/48615983) jumped from 'I didn't know this existed' straight to 'I will die for this fic' in the space of,,, five minutes. It's co-written by the utterly amazing Autumn_Ignited and SailUnchartedWaters/GlassAlice.
> 
> This fic has a bunch of content warnings, including eating disorders, dieting, body dysmorphia, talking of suicide, bullying, abuse, homophobia. It's a horror fic as well, so take that into account. It's rated explicit, and has an archive warning for graphic descriptions of violence.
> 
> Despite all that, I absolutely adore this fic, and cannot wait to see what else these two write. The House With The Red Front Door is about college kid Lance who struggles with an eating disorder meeting Keith. Who has been dead for A While™. But that doesn't seem to matter to Lance's feelings. It's a complete, 9 chapter fic.
> 
> Autumn's links:  
[AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Autumn_Ignited/pseuds/Autumn_Ignited)  
[Tumblr](https://autumnignited.tumblr.com/)  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/AutumnIgnited)
> 
> Sail's links:  
[AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlassAlice/pseuds/SailUnchartedWaters)  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/SailUnchartd)
> 
> My links:  
[Twitter](https://twitter.com/galactiklance)  
[Tumblr](https://galactiklance.tumblr.com/)  
[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/galactiklance/)
> 
> I'd really appreciate it if you left a comment!


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